Case File II: The Hair Clip and the Watch (1)

Sunday should be the most sacred day on my calendar. The day I could cuddle with my bed, ally with my blanket, and forget all the world's drama. So, when I woke up around ten in the morning, the first thing I felt was peace. I stretched, grabbed my phone, and checked notifications. Quiet. Good.

However, that peace shattered when I heard my bedroom window open. I flinched, dropping my phone. From behind the curtains, a shadow leaped into my room. Rose Claret!

"Good morning, Arez!" she chirped cheerfully, as if she had just jumped out of a plane without a parachute.

I gaped. "Rose?! What are you doing in my room?! How did you get in?!"

Rose just smiled widely. "The main door was locked, so I came through the window. Faster." She pointed to my second-story bedroom window. "Besides, I knew you'd still be asleep."

"But... but this is my house! This is private!" I was still half in shock. This detective really had no boundaries.

"Don't exaggerate, Arez. Just consider this a family visit," Rose stepped closer, ignoring my startled expression. She patted my head. "You're like my own little brother. I just feel like teasing you."

"Little brother what!" I brushed her hand away, tidying my already messy hair. "I'm already in middle school, and we've only known each other for a few days!" The phrase 'little brother' sent shivers down my spine. I didn't need an older sister who could climb windows on a Sunday morning.

Rose just chuckled, then her eyes moved to my messy bookshelf. My book collection was dominated by some short stories, an Anthology Novel, and several collections of Ontology-themed Novels that I didn't understand—all inherited from my older brother—interspersed with some untouched textbooks.

"Hmm, Arez, you have a lot of books here," she said, her fingers tracing the stack of books. "Are there any books you've actually finished reading?"

I nodded proudly. "Of course!"

Rose looked a little impressed. "Really? What book?"

"It's titled The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," I replied, a smile spreading across my face.

Rose's expression changed. From impressed, it became a bit flat. "Oh... Is that all?"

"Yeah. That's the first and last book I've ever finished," I added honestly. "The detective stories are exciting, but after that, I got lazy again."

Rose sighed, her admiration quickly receding. "But, aren't you interested in reading other Sherlock Holmes stories? Or other detective books?"

"Of course I'm interested!" I said enthusiastically. "But... this laziness hinders me. It feels so hard to open another book after finishing one."

Rose looked at me with clear disappointment. "Arez, Arez. Your talent is wasted by your laziness."

I just shrugged. What can you do.

　　　　　　　◇

The next day, I returned to my school routine. During break time, as usual, I spent my time in the cafeteria with Kalet. He was busy complaining about the piling math assignments.

"I'm sure Mr. Nicholas deliberately piles up assignments so we don't have time to play games," Kalet grumbled, shoving a meatball into his mouth.

I just nodded in agreement, already very bored with the complaint. Suddenly, a girl with shoulder-length hair came up to our table. Her face looked panicked.

"Kalet, have you seen my hair clip?" she asked with a somewhat high-pitched voice. "My hair clip is gone! But I put it in my bag before break."

Kalet frowned. "Hair clip? I haven't seen it, Chestina. Did you try looking in your locker again?"

The girl shook her head. "I already looked, it's not there! Oh, hi. I'm Chestina. You're Kalet's friend, right? Arez Redzel?"

I nodded. "Yes, I'm Arez. Nice to meet you, Chestina." I didn't ask her full name; I knew the name 'Chestina' only because Kalet called her earlier. I really wasn't interested in that.

"Wait, it's not just Chestina's hair clip that's missing," Kalet suddenly widened his eyes. "My watch isn't here either! But I put it in my pocket earlier!" He felt his wrist, his face pale.

I frowned. Missing? Hair clip and watch? This was starting to feel familiar.

As I reached under Kalet's table, my hand touched something. A small card. I picked it up. It was a card with a wolf image, the Lupin emblem! On the back, there was small writing: "Your items are with us."

My strong suspicion was confirmed. Lupin. They were active again, even at school. Damn it. I couldn't let Kalet and Chestina know about Lupin. They would surely panic and complicate things.

I quickly hid the Lupin card in my pants pocket. Then, swiftly, I turned back to Kalet and Chestina.

"Kalet, Chestina, calm down first," I said in an unusually serious tone. "I know who the culprit is."

They both looked at me hopefully. "Who?" Kalet asked.

I sighed, putting on a thoughtful expression. "Here's the thing. Try to think. Who in this school has personal items exactly like your missing ones?"

Kalet and Chestina exchanged glances. "What do you mean?" Chestina asked.

"Your hair clip, Chestina, it's a unique hair clip that few people wear, with a beautiful flower shape," I said. "And your watch, Kalet, it's a Patek Philippe Grand Complications, a special edition with a rare blue dial."

Kalet and Chestina nodded.

"There are some seniors who also have items exactly like that. Especially Ryan-senpai from 12th Grade Science 1, he has the same special edition watch as you, Kalet. And Stella-senpai from 12th Grade Social Sciences 2, she has a hair clip almost identical to yours, Chestina," I said, recalling details I'd heard or seen briefly. I might be lazy, but my memory was sharp for strange things. "I think... maybe they accidentally took them."

"Huh? But why?" Kalet was confused.

I put on a wise demeanor. "Here's how. Maybe this morning when they were in a hurry, they accidentally picked up the wrong item. Those items are very similar, after all. They might have thought they were their own." I knew this was a bluff, but it sounded convincing. "They're seniors, maybe they were in a rush this morning."

Chestina was surprised. "That's true! But why wouldn't they notice?"

"Maybe they haven't had a chance to check," I said, fabricating reasons at lightning speed. My manipulative rhetoric was starting to work. "Or maybe they're too busy and haven't noticed until now."

Kalet and Chestina seemed a little hesitant, but the reasons I gave sounded quite plausible to them. They knew nothing about a mysterious group of thieves called Lupin.

"So, we have to ask them?" Kalet asked.

"Of course!" I said. "Let's meet them. Don't be scared. I'll do the talking."

Their location was far up, the high school classrooms were on the upper floor, while the middle school was on the lower floor. But at this time of day, they shouldn't be in class.

We went to find Ryan-senpai and Stella-senpai, who were sitting on a bench in the school garden. Ryan-senpai was busy with his phone, and Stella-senpai was reading a book.

"Ryan-senpai, Stella-senpai," I greeted, trying to put on a friendly and slightly sad face. "Sorry to bother you."

Ryan-senpai looked up. "What is it... Arez?" He glanced at the name tag on my side.

"Well, senpai. Kalet's watch is missing. And Chestina's hair clip is also missing," I said, pointing to Kalet and Chestina who stood behind me with worried faces. "And we were just thinking... since you both have exactly the same items... could it be that you accidentally took the wrong one?"

Ryan-senpai and Stella-senpai exchanged glances, clearly surprised and a little offended.

"What do you mean, Arez?" Stella-senpai asked with a slightly angry tone. "We don't take other people's things!"

I immediately put on a regretful expression. "Oh, no, senpai! Of course, that's not what I meant! We're not accusing you! It's precisely because we know you're good people that we want to ask for help."

Ryan-senpai raised an eyebrow. "Help with what?"

"We thought... maybe this morning when you were at your lockers, you accidentally took something similar to yours, but it turned out to be our friends'," I continued, my words flowing smoothly. "I mean, the items are exactly the same. This must be connected. We're very confused, senpai. Kalet's watch was a gift from his father, and Chestina's hair clip is a unique one, hard to get!"

I looked at them with a pleading gaze, blinking slightly as if to say, 'Please help us, we're in so much trouble.' I knew how to play drama.

Ryan-senpai and Stella-senpai looked hesitant, especially since they were facing their juniors; they surely didn't want their juniors to report them to the teacher just for saying hurtful words. Their faces, which were initially angry, now changed to a bit of pity and confusion.

"Maybe... maybe we didn't realize we took the wrong one," Stella-senpai said, starting to waver. She took off the hair clip she was wearing.

"How about this, senpai," I said, stepping forward slightly. "To clear your names from suspicion and help us, why don't you give your hair clip and watch to Kalet and Chestina first? Later, when our original items are found, you can take your items back. Or maybe later you'll find your 'original' items in your lockers."

Ryan-senpai and Stella-senpai hesitated. "But these are our things," Ryan-senpai said. He looked at the watch on his wrist.

"I know, senpai! I know this is a lot of trouble," I put on the most regretful expression I could. "But this is the only way to clear your names from misunderstanding. Besides, if we panic and report to the teacher, it could be a big problem for you. Whereas if you help, we'll be very grateful, and this problem will be resolved peacefully, without anyone else needing to know.

"Besides, if you're still doubtful that you took the wrong one, maybe you can check your lockers later."

I said that with confidence, because I knew high school students go home later than middle school students. I was sure they were on break right now, and soon they would start their last class and participate in club activities when our class was quiet.

I saw them exchange glances. Stella-senpai sighed. Ryan-senpai scratched his head. They were trapped. My manipulative rhetoric worked. They didn't want trouble with the teachers, and they also didn't want to be accused of taking things. The easiest way out was to give their items.

"Alright..." Stella-senpai finally gave in. She handed over her hair clip. "Here, Chestina. Next time, don't lose it again."

Chestina, with sparkling eyes, took the hair clip.

Ryan-senpai also nodded resignedly. "Here's your watch, Kalet. Don't lose expensive items like this again." He handed his watch to Kalet.

Kalet and Chestina were very happy. "Thank you very much, senpai!"

After the seniors left, Kalet and Chestina looked at me with admiration.

"How did you know they were the culprits? And why did they just hand over their stuff?" Kalet asked.

I smiled faintly. "It's simple."

"The motive, as I told you. Earlier I saw Ryan-senpai and Stella-senpai near your lockers, and their items are very similar," I began to explain, fabricating a logical story. "They are seniors; they are quite busy because of their very packed schedule. Maybe they accidentally took your items because they were in a hurry, and haven't realized it until now. That's why I said they were good people who took the wrong items, so they would be willing to hand them over. If I had directly accused them, they would have gotten angry.

"And also because I said that if we reported to the teacher, it could be a big problem. They don't want to take risks," I said, puffing out my chest slightly. "So, they preferred to help rather than get into trouble."

Kalet and Chestina nodded, their faces showing that they fully believed my seemingly logical explanation. Mission accomplished. They believed my bluff. Safe from Lupin for now. At least I could protect my friends from things they didn't understand.

When the dismissal bell rang, Kalet patted my shoulder. "Arez, want to go home together?"

"Um, sorry, Kalet. I have a sudden appointment," I said, trying to seem natural. Actually, I wanted to find a quiet place immediately to think about Lupin's message.

"Oh, okay then. See ya!" Although his sentence seemed to believe me, his tone seemed to not trust my words, perhaps because he knew I was a lazy introvert who couldn't possibly have an appointment with someone, but since he didn't ask, I let him be.

Kalet waved, then walked home with Chestina.

I deliberately walked a little slower, looking for a somewhat secluded spot outside the school gate. As soon as I felt safe, I reached into my pocket. The Lupin card was still there. But, to my surprise, my phone vibrated. A message came in.

From an unknown number. But the sender's name... Rose Claret.

The message was short: 'Arez, I know Lupin is causing trouble again. The items you lost in the warehouse earlier are nothing. There's something bigger they're after. I've sent you the location. Meet me there. Don't you dare refuse. This isn't a request, but an order.'

I stared at my phone in disbelief. How did she get my number?! I never gave it to her. This woman is truly a strange detective. But, on the other hand, for some reason, a little relief emerged in my chest. Earlier, I told Ryan-senpai and Stella-senpai to check their lockers; there was still time before they had time to go to their lockers. This was my chance.

Without hesitation, I immediately called Rose. The phone rang.

"Hello, Arez," Rose's voice sounded relaxed, as if she already knew I would call.

"Rose! How did you get my number?!" I exclaimed, a little annoyed but also curious.

Rose chuckled. "Detectives have ways of getting information. Now, forget that. Ready to hunt Lupin again?"

I sighed, smiling slightly. "Ready or not, this time I'm in a real hurry. I'll be there."