Hyouka:Volume 3 Chapter 3-3

3-3 The "Juumoji" Incident

037 - ♠10

I opened my boxed lunch while listening to the Broadcast Club's live radio broadcast.

What kind of day is it today, you ask? And I would say today was one of those days when my sis would decide to make my boxed lunch for me. I should really be giving my thanks to the food I'm receiving, but what's with this ethnic-looking dish comprising of spicy soybeans and fried chicken covered in yoghurt? The rice in this Nasi Goreng (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasi_goreng) looked bigger than the ones I normally have, where'd she get those from?

The door was closed during lunch time. This ethnic looking boxed lunch sure looked good. Guess I'll take my time enjoying this.

"Heya."

Opening the door, Satoshi walked in, followed by Chitanda and Ibara.

"Great work you did there, guys,"

I said, pointing upwards, or rather, towards the radio broadcast from the speakers. A while ago, they were doing an interview with The Cooking Club.

"That sure was a high quality competition, wasn't it?"

"Yes, indeed. The results were that close. I thought the amberjack teriyaki, the main dish of Team Fata Morgana's second member would be most capable of winning. The same goes for his steamed clams, though as this is a school cultural festival, in place of steaming it with sake, he substituted with rice wine, still the taste was superb. Though he prepared it too early, that by the time the time limit was up it became quite cool. This was where Team Classics Club made their comeback, the second member's giseyaki and imo-mochi was suitably stored aside to be re-heated, while you could feel the heat from their third member's kakiage rice bowl so much that it looked as though that the prawn heads were crying. This heat was the difference that decided their victory."

"And what about Team Astronomy Club?"

"They were in a world of their own."

Putting down my chopsticks, I spoke,

"Congratulations on winning."

By the way, something seems to have happened. As representing the winners to receive the prize, Ibara did not promote the Classics Club's name as she was supposed to, and to think Satoshi went through all this trouble to participate. At any rate, Satoshi was basically enjoying this more than promoting the club.

Despite being complimented on, the three members were surprisingly apathetic to the radio broadcast.

"Thank you. It was thanks to Oreki-san's help. By the way, we have something to show you,"

Chitanda spoke first. I have a really bad feeling about this.

"A, anyway, let us have lunch."

I prompted them to their seats, which they duly did and slowly took out their own food...... They've all bought bread from the canteen. How unambitious.

Opening her bag of green bean paste bread, Chitanda turned around without even taking a bite,

"We have something to show you."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"This,"

She said and handed something to me. It looked like a greeting card. On it was written "The Cooking Club has lost its ladle." Signed by "Juumoji".

"Hmm."

I took a bite of the spicy beans and said,

"The ladles were stolen?"

"Yes...... but just ours."

Ibara nodded. As Ibara had made the kakiage rice bowl, she would be most affected by the theft. And to think she could have just made dumplings out of the flour I provided...... Who would have thought she would fry something with it? She sure is a sensitive person.

"Probably a prank by someone with too much time on their hands."

I returned the greeting card, yet the conversation did not end there. Munching on his red bean paste bread, Satoshi smiled and said,

"It's not just The Cooking Club, the same happened to the Go Club as well. I hear the A Capella Club was also hit."

"The Fortune Telling Association, too. They both found this, um, declaration of crime with the same fonts."

I see.

"Looks like someone really has a lot of time on their hands."

I tried to downplay the incident, but Chitanda was not one to be fooled. Disregarding the green bean paste bread in her hands, she held her fists tightly. Chitanda's large black eyes, which betray her normally gentle image, were now widening. I could sense the atmosphere changing.

T, this is bad. Why now? Not even half a day had passed yet. And I was hoping to endure the Cultural Festival without incident. To think Chitanda had restrained herself well yesterday, how did it come to this? Where has it gone wrong? Once she makes her move, nobody could stop her. I knew very well when Chitanda Eru would start getting curious, a dark emotion that could kill cats.

Speaking one word at the time,

"Just who would do such a thing during the Cultural Festival? Why would Juumonji-san commit such acts with such a name? Why would he steal these items one after another? ......"

She's about to say that line.

"I'm really curious about it."

Ah, she's said it. She has finally gone and said it.

...... No wait, there's no reason to be scared. Ever since enrolling here, I have not been able to suppress her curiosity, but right now, I have a trump card.

Instead of wasting my time making excuses, I promptly showed my trump card,

"Now is not the time for that. What about our anthologies?"

Yet just as I had finished speaking, Satoshi spoke,

"What about those anthologies indeed. Even if we raise our name recognition by participating in these straightforward events, we're not gonna improve our sales anyway. I was prepared to accept that this was a futile exercise, so I just thought of something better."

"Something better?"

Satoshi's eyes were smiling, but that's his usual self. Though what he seems serious in what he's about to say,

"These series of thefts, coupled with a signed declaration of crime, it's clear we're looking at a phantom thief incident. It's bound to get reported by the Wall Newspaper Club, and possibly broadcasted by the Broadcast Club tomorrow. If we go along this line of thinking, even if we don't sell out, we'll still be able to look forward to selling up to thirty to forty copies."

...... I see. It's not so bad if that's the case. Indeed, this is certainly a newsworthy topic. Satoshi's mic appeal yesterday yielded some results, so if we could get the two media clubs to work for us, it's possible to sell up to thirty to forty copies. However,

"How are we going to improve our sales in the first place anyway? This incident has got nothing to do with the Classics Club."

"Oh, I know,"

Ibara interrupted,

"We have Oreki."

"Yup. Just as with the 'Hyouka' incident or the 'Empress' incident, Houtarou certainly performed well in both."

Wait a sec, I know where this conversation is going, but wait a sec.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Chitanda was a bit slow in getting their meaning. Satoshi explained with a mischievous smile,

"In other words, 'To find out how Oreki Houtaou, the Classic Club's super sleuth, manages to bring the harbinger of the Cultural Festival Juumonji to justice, read all about it in this "Hyouka", the Classic Club's anthology!' We could kill two birds with one stone by capturing Juumonji and promoting the Classic Club's name."

"I, I see! This is an excellent idea! I should hurry up and......"

Argh! I smacked my chopsticks onto the table,

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm not playing along with your games!"

I yelled. How can they toy around with people like that?

Yet, in contrast to my expectations, Satoshi surprisingly nodded in agreement that he was fooling arounf,

"You're right. I want to improve the sales, but it's probably not good to have Houtarou be our clown."

So you do get it...... That I'll be nothing but a circus clown in such a charade,

"Besides, this 'Juumonji' guy is just stealing randomly. What do you want me to say to him if we do catch him?"

"I dunno, I was thinking you'd come up with something."

Don't be ridiculous,

"Why do you think that I would be the one to do such a thing...... First of all, how many people do you think has entered and left the school grounds during the Cultural Festival? And that's not counting that we have nearly 1,000 students."

The room went silent. I munched another mouthful of ethnic boxed lunch.

Unwrapping the layers on her bacon roll, Ibara sighed,

"I don't think Fuku-chan's idea was bad. While I think it's a bit mean to have Oreki do something, but if we could somehow catch that phantom thief, we could involve the Classics Club into this."

She unwrapped another layer,

"...... If only the Classics Club were targeted."

"Yeah."

I nodded. If that were to happen, people will gradually turn their attention to the Classics Club while following the phantom thief incident. But in that case, there was no need to even catch this "Juumonji". Satoshi muttered,

"...... We could stage this......"

"REJECTED."

Ibara replied sharply,

"It's too risky."

"I was only kidding."

"When Fuku-chan says it, it doesn't sound like you're kidding...... But, really, what could we do?"

"Try not to think too much about it, your roll's about to become straight."

Despite my quip, Ibara didn't even glare back at me and unwrapped yet another layer on her roll. She twitched her brows hard. Though she had the strongest sense of responsibility amongst us, she was also the one who's contributed least to the Classics Club during this time. She must have realized this as well.

"Is there a chance the Classics Club would be targeted?"

Holding the green bean paste bread on her hand, Chitanda asked.

"Satoshi, how many participating clubs are there?"

"Fifty-one. Not a small number if you're wishing to be targeted."

"Would the thief calling himself Juumonji-san make his targets randomly?"

"You think he'll target the Classics Club if he were to do so in such a fashion?"

The possibility would be zero. If it's completely random, the odds of being targeted would be...

"...... Which clubs have been targeted again?"

Satoshi replied instantly,

"The Go Club, A Capella Club, The Cooking Club, and what was it? Ah, the Fortune Telling Association."

Our odds of being targeted would be forty-seven out of fifty-one. Even if it were completely random, the possibility percentage would be insanely low. As I'm the only person watching stall for the club, if I were to go out to take a walk or go to the bathroom, it would make it easier for us to be targeted.

...... Hmm?

Wait a moment, this sounds strange. I stopped Chitanda, who looked as though she was about to say something to me, and asked Satoshi,

"Sorry, can you repeat which clubs were targeted again?"

"Sure, the Go Club, A Capella Club, Fortune Telling Association and The Cooking Club."

Hmm, could it be?

"In other words,"

I spoke cautiously,

"The A Capella Club, the Go Club, the Fortune Telling Association, and The Cooking Club.

...... Who else was targeted?"

Looking puzzled, Satoshi shook his head,

"Dunno, I've not heard of any."

Watching our conversation, Ibara began looking through the "Kanya Festival Guide" in her hands. It seems like she too has realized as I had. Searching via the gojuuon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goj%C5%ABon) directory for the club names at the front of the guide, she began listing some names,

"Film Club, Gardening Club, Drama Club, Sci-Fi Club."

"Yes, which of those four were hit?"

"Film Club, Gardening Club......"

Taking a deep breath, Satoshi yelled,

"A.B.C.!"

"Eh? Eh? What do you mean?"

Chitanda was the only one who didn't get it. Watching her squeeze her green bean paste bread to smithereens, I explained to her,

"It is as you have wondered, he wouldn't have targeted the clubs randomly. It's all following a pattern, and a very simple one at that. The only reason we didn't realize it earlier was because the order in which we were told which clubs were targeted was mixed up. So, assuming the Film Club was targeted.

We have: The A Capella Club, Go Club, Fortune Telling Association, Film Club, and The Cooking Club."

"Ah!"

Chitanda covered her mouth.

"The gojuuon sequence!"

Meanwhile, Satoshi was doing the rounds, calling someone on his cell phone,

"...... Yes, just want to know if you've got something stolen...... No, it's not me! Honest! ...... Hmm? A water gun? I see, thanks."

He hung up the call as the three of us looked on, he then said,

"It was the Gardening Club. One of their water guns was stolen while they were away from the room."

"Water gun? Why would the Gardening Club have water guns?"

A sensible question from Ibara, to which I answered at once,

"They were making sweet potatoes, so they needed to prepare water to put out the fire, and they decided to use water guns because it looked cool that way."

"O, Oreki! How on earth did you know that!?"

Well, I'm sorry that I have amazing levels of perception. But actually, it was thanks to the Glock 17 that I had obtained earlier on. Ibara continued to mutter,

"But wait a minute. In 'A.B.C.', it started with a person whose name starts with the letter A murdered in a place also starting with the letter A."

The only person here most likely to have read Agatha Christie's "The A.B.C. Murders" was probably Ibara.

"The Cooking Club had their ladle stolen, right?"

"Just wait a moment."

Stopping Ibara from going frantic, Satoshi took out a notebook and pen from the drawstring bag he always carries with him,

"Chitanda-san, what was it that was stolen from the Fortune Telling Association?"

"It's the 'Wheel of Fortune'."

"OK!"

He began scribbling with his pen.

* A Capella Club ([A]KAPERA BU アカペラ部) - (Drink)
* Go Club ([I]GO BU　囲碁部) - (Go Stones)
* Fortune Telling Association ([U]RANAI KEN　占い研) - Wheel of Fortune ([U]NMEI NO WA　運命の輪)
* Gardening Club ([E]NGEI BU　園芸部) - (Water Gun)
* The Cooking Club ([O] RYOURI KEN　お料理研) - Ladle ([O]TAMA　おたま)

I see.

"Hmm. I've not seen their declaration of crime cards, but isn't this stretching a bit?"

Satoshi tilted his head. Feeling skeptical myself, I said,

"Maybe the Gardening Club had their AK ([E]-KEI エーケイ) stolen?"

"AK? What's that?"

"Their water gun, it's shaped like a Kalashnikov rifle."

"Really? I'll have to call the Gardening Club to confirm this."

"In that case, for the Go Club, they would have 'stones' ([I]SHI 石) stolen."

Indeed, no one objected to such a hypothesis. As for the A Capella Club,

"The A Capella Club would be......"

"Hmm...... Awamori ([A]WAMORI 泡盛)? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awamori)　Hot sake ([A]TSUKAN 熱燗)?"

"It wouldn't matter as long as we could confirm the item starts with an [A]. We shouldn't think too much on that."

This...... Wouldn't this be the excellent chance that the Classics Club would wish for? This was not me forsaking my energy-saving lifestyle. As usual, if there's something that I don't have to do, I won't do it. But if I let this pass, wouldn't it be too much of a pity? Even I was feeling a bit excited by the dawn of such luck.

"But, how far will this 'Juumonji-san' go with his crimes?"

How can you be so carefree, Chitanda!?

"Yeah, that's a problem."

"It won't be a problem as long as he stops by the Classics Club."

...... Does even Satoshi and Ibara not get it as well?

I raised my voice,

"What are you guys talking about? What does the culprit call himself again?"

"Eh? Isn't it Juumonji?"

"I don't know why you guys pronounce it as 'Juumonji', when normally you would pronounce it as 'Juumoji'."

"...... Well, that's because I have a friend called Juumonji Kaho......"

"Oh!" Ibara exclaimed,

"That's it! Juumoji (Ten Characters 十文字)! Since Chi-chan and Fuku-chan kept pronouncing it as 'Juumonji', I didn't see the association! If it's 'Juumoji' (Ten Characters), then that would make The Cooking Club the fifth character."

Exactly.

"And the sixth target would start with [KA], in other words, the tenth and final target would start with [KO]...... That's more than enough reason to get people to come visit the Classics Club ([KO]TENBU 古典部), isn't it?"

[148 COPIES REMAINING]

038 - ♥09

While I believe Fukube-san and Mayaka-san are both wonderful people, there's one thing I don't agree with them.

In that they make too much fun of Oreki-san.

He gets called dullish, a slacker, oversleeper, lazy, good-for-nothing, loiterer, too lazy to even loiter, a lion that sleeps all day, not a even a lion even if he sleeps all day, the antithesis of Labour Thanksgiving Day, sluggish, and all other sorts of bad names.

For me, if I see something I don't understand, I would seek out its answer. If I see something that looks out of place, I would spot it. But while I often get praised for being able to answer any problem being asked, I do not find myself matching that description. For some of the incredible things that I have come across, I was not able to find the answer to half of them. This would be like rice cannot be grown by just merely preparing soil, water and seeds alone, part of being a rice farmer is to oversee how they're grown properly. Oreki-san was able to find the key to the questions that I did not understand, and obtain the answers which I had never thought about. He has helped massively in the "Hyouka" incident, as named by Fukube-san, as well as come up with an amazing theory in the "Empress" incident.

He wasn't just a bright person. In contrast to what he himself normally claims that he couldn't be bothered to help other people if it is too troubling for him, I believe he is actually a passionate and warm person deep inside.

Then again, I realize I've been relying too much on that warmth of his. And which is why I tell myself I shouldn't rely too much on him......

With the new vision and possibilities shown to me by Oreki-san, I now head once again to the Wall Newspaper Club room. Based on the "pattern" that Oreki-san had spoke of, it would certainly attract the attention of the Wall Newspaper Club. Yet, whether I could convey this message to them to get them moving would depend on how I negotiate with them. I am no longer overwhelmed by the colourful decorations of the Cultural Festival, the incessant chattering of the students and the various posters pasted everywhere. Instead, courtesy of Irisu-san's advice, my heart was filled with the confidence that this time I will not fail.

According to Fukube-san, it seems the "Juumoji" incident has yet to receive much attention, which means this story would be extremely newsworthy for the Wall Newspaper Club. This would be the sort of request where, based on Irisu-san's advice, I do not need to repay any favour.

I recalled what was being taught, as my sense of memory is one of the few things that I'm confident of. Important requests, give them expectations, make them think our problem is trivial, and make the request alone to a person of the opposite gender.

As to why these methods would be effective, I'm still at a loss in understanding them...... It feels bad for me to use systems which I do not fully understand as mere tools, but I can't afford to be picky.

Making good use of those advice, I rehearsed my lines. To make sure I don't say anything wrong, I repeated them again and again on my own.

I now arrive before the Wall Newspaper Club room, the Biology Lecture Room. I knocked on the closed door,

"Comin~!"

A hoarse voice replied as the door opened startlingly.

There were six people inside, which was more than yesterday. But that was not the only thing that was different. While Toogaito-san was amongst them, the other five people were all speaking on their cell phones. One of them finished speaking and spoke to another male student who was on the phone,

"Cooking Club. Confirm it with their president."

The student who heard the instruction made a circle with his finger. Was it money? ...... Oh, he was making an OK sign. The student who just finished speaking on the phone and wrote some sort of list before heading out of the room, seemingly not noticing my presence.

It was then that a voice spoke,

"Sorry about that, Chitanda-san. We're a bit busy at the moment."

Before noticing, Toogaito-san had started walking towards me. Being mesmerized by the passion of the Wall Newspaper Club, I quickly returned to my senses.

"Try coming back some other time."

"Yes, sorry to be troubling you......"

No! I mustn't! I quickly stopped what I was saying. We haven't got much time ourselves. If I give up so soon, I wouldn't be able to face Oreki-san. I should at least convey my message,

"...... Sorry to be troubling you, but, could you please take a moment? I have something to tell you."

While it's an unreasonable request, Toogaito said with a troubled expression,

"Alright, make it quick."

He seems to have accepted the request. I should be bowing to him in gratitude, but as he's in a hurry, I have decided to omit it.

It was then that I remembered. Toogaito-san is a member of the opposite gender. As there were other members present, so I gradually took a few steps back away from the Biology Room. Perhaps unconsciously, Toogaito-san stepped forward in tandem towards the corridor. I then inadvertently closed the door. During the Cultural Festival, there was virtually no one around the Biology Room on the third floor of the Special Block besides us.

I've managed to adhere to one of Irisu-san's advice now. To ensure I don't fail, I suppressed my nervously and spoke,

"It's about the Classics Club."

"Like I said, we'll only consider it if it's newsworthy."

"Well, umm, it is newsworthy."

Now, to make an expectation out of him. I think I should say it like this,

"It's something that we can only tell the Wall Newspaper Club."

"Hmm?"

Toogaito-san, who had originally wanted the conversation to end quickly, suddenly had a change in his attitude,

"What do you mean?"

"It's like this,"

I took a quick breath,

"We've discovered that during the Cultural Festival, many clubs have various items stolen."

I had wanted to go on, but Toogaito-san's reaction was vigorous,

"'Juumoji'!"

"Eh?"

"What do you know about 'Juumoji'?!"

I was at a loss in how to deal with this sudden unexpected turn of events. Umm, how should I respond? It's a bad habit of mine to suddenly stop speaking in times like these, even Oreki-san had told me about it. I must calm down, in other words, I must try and figure out what's going on so far......

Toogaito-san, or rather the Wall Newspaper Club, has already figured something about the "Juumoji" incident, and they're extremely interested in it...... Rather than a favour is not expected to be repaid, this has now become a request where favour is expected to be repaid.

W, what should I do?

No, this shouldn't change what I should be telling him. I nodded and tried my best to calm down, before compiling my thoughts into words.

I explained everything.

From beginning to end.

Toogaito-san looked very intrigued in what I had said and was extremely pleased,

"I see...... The gojuuon sequence, huh? Now it makes sense, The Cooking Club's official name starts with [O]. And the Fortune Telling Association was hit as well...... So that's why."

I was a bit curious on what he meant by the end,

"Umm, did you figure something out?"

"Oh."

Toogaito-san had a bitter look on his face,

"This is the Wall Newspaper Club after all,"

"Yes."

I nodded. Toogaito then repeated again in a different tone,

"The Wall Newspaper Club ([KA]BESHINBUN BU 壁新聞部), starts with a [KA]."

"Oh! So that means,"

"We lost out cutter knife ([KA]TTA-NAIFU カッターナイフ), it happened when we were all out."

"And that's why you're all so busy now?"

Toogaito-san nodded,

"While its vexing that we had things stolen from us, but its this sort of accidental incidents that we most look forward to. This is way more interesting than the usual stuff that we have to report on, isn't it? You've really saved us a lot of trouble. Who would have thought this 'Juumoji' would work in such a way?"

He then added a compliment,

"Good work for figuring that out."

"Oh, yes, that was mainly Oreki-san."

Yet, upon mentioning Oreki-san's name, for some reason Toogaito-san's smile was a mix between delight and vexation,

"...... Ah, of course. Anyway, give him my thanks."

"Okay."

"Well, thanks for the information."

With a cheerful expression, I watched as Toogaito-san returned to the Biology Room.

It was when he was about to shut the door that I remembered Irisu-san's advice - "For situations where you're dealing with strangers which you would not deal with again after you receive the favour, in nine out of ten cases, they would consider your request a rip-off."

Wait! Please write something about the Classics Club in return!

I should have shouted that to Toogaito-san...... but I couldn't do it. I couldn't make myself say something that sounds like I do not trust Toogaito-san.

"......"

I looked at the hand which I stretched out to call Toogaito-san. For a moment, I felt depressed at failing once again.

However.

After thinking again calmly, this could turn out for be best. Irisu-san's advice on that was mainly for strangers whom I won't deal with again. But that's not the case for Toogaito-san. So if I were to build on a trust with Toogaito-san, then what I did wasn't wrong.

Yes, that's got to be the case.

...... For a bit, I felt more resolute in my determination.

039 - ♣13

I first knew of Houtarou's amazing sense of perception in the "Hyouka" incident. Despite spending all these time with him in junior high, I never knew he was capable of such feats.

Knowing Houtarou's special abilities, I was full of expectations during the "Empress" affair, as I could not think of anyone else besides him who could pull it off. The very least I could do was give him my support. Though he was also active in other incidents, these were the two main ones that came to mind.

However, this time, I do not expect anything from Houtarou.

As he is grounded in the Geology Room watching the stall, he is unable to leave the Geology Room. Knowing Houtarou's motto, he would surely enjoy not needing to move around, but it also means he would be unable to solve anything, as much footwork is required for this case. In other words, Houtarou is unsuited for the "Juumoji" incident.

And what happens when I don't have any expectations from Houtarou?

...... That leaves me with no choice but to do the investigation myself.

Using Houtarou's deductions as a basis, and padding it up with information I gleamed from various connections, I've managed to compile the following data.

Day 1
* ~11.30am - A Capella Club　([A]KAPERA BU アカペラ部) - "Aquarius" ([A]KUARIASU アクエリアス)　soft drink stolen
* ~12.30pm? - Go Club ([I]GO BU 囲碁部)　- Stones　([I]SHI 石)(?) stolen
* Just after 2.00pm - Fortune Telling Association　([U]RANAI KENKYUU KAI 占い研究会) - Wheel of Fortune ([U]NMEI NO WA 運命の輪)　stolen

Day 2
* ~9.00am - Gardening Club ([E]NGEI BU 園芸部)　- AK ([E]-KEI エーケイ)　(Kalashnikov water gun) stolen
* Just before 11.30am - The Cooking Club ([O]RYOURI KENKYUU KAI お料理研究会)　- Ladle ([O]TAMA おたま)　stolen

And from Chitanda-san, who just returned dashing down the corridor, just a moment ago (currently it's 1.58pm), the Wall Newspaper Club ([KA]BESHINBUN BU　壁新聞部) has their cutter knife ([KA]TTA- NAIFU　カッターナイフ) stolen. The actual time when they were hit should be sometime earlier than this.

Roughly speaking, it would seem "Juumoji" seems to make his move every one and a half hour to two and a half hours. Considering the Cultural Festival takes place from 8.00am to 5.00pm, it makes sense.

As the Kamiyama High School Cultural Festival spans three days, if he were to steal from ten clubs, he would have divided them evenly, stealing from three the first day, three from the second day, and four on the final day. However, while he has indeed targeted three clubs in the first day, as people would be preparing to take down their stuff on the final day from around three, it's possible that he could choose to target four clubs today.

Taking out my copy of the "Kanya Festival Guide", I started looking up the clubs whose names begin with [KI]...... Heh, looks like the phantom thief is bound by the strange rules he has set for himself, as the only club that matches the description was Magic Club ([KI]JUTSU BU 奇術部).

Arriving at the Magic Club, there was a poster that read "The next show will begin in 2pm". This is most ideal. If he were to commit the crime, he would have to do so right before everyone's gazes. And even if "Juumoji" manages to pull this off and steal something that starts with [KI], there should still be some clues left behind.

If I stay vigilant, I have a fair chance of victory. "Juumoji"'s defeat lies with his pattern being too easy to read. The only problem with catching "Juumoji" now would mean he's denied the chance to go all the way to [KO], which would be bad for our attempt to promote the Classics Club. Anyway, if we catch him, we still might be able to achieve something out of it.

I'm not like Houtarou. I am unable to untie the knots of a rope, neither am I able to just cut them loose quickly. If I could, even I would be amazed at myself.

However, I am at least able to move my body around, just by walking on my two feet and seeing with my two eyes, I should be able to figure something out.

The Magic Club public performance takes place in Class 2D's classroom. As a regular classroom, it has two entrances. The front door was covered by a curtain, with a cardboard box placed outside that read "Magic Club Backstage. No Trespassers Allowed". Visitors are to enter via the back door. Besides the backdoor was a table with a white box placed on it. Taking a closer look, turns out it contains the programme booklets for the show.

As there was nothing else to do while waiting thirty minutes for the show to start, I bought one booklet.

Introduction Living Dead - Takamura Youichi (1st Year) The Rainbow Ring - Nagai Kaori (1st Year) Vanishing Act - Tayama Kazuya (2nd Year) Closeup Card Magic - Takamura Youichi and Nagai Kaori (1st Year) Bowls and Balls - Tayama Kazuya (2nd Year) Closing

I see.

The first thing I understood was that the Magic Club only has three members. The Classics Club has four while the Sewing Club has five. Hey, we have more.

"Living Dead" would be referring to zombies, as this is the Magic Club, they're no doubt referring to the zombie ball. "Rainbow Ring" would be linking rings, where they'd be playing with the illusion of the rings linking and separating. "Vanishing Act", probably involves something disappearing and replaced with something else. "Closeup Card Magic" is like its name suggests, a straightforward performance. Should be interesting as there're two performers. "Bowls and Balls", probably a variation of the cups and balls trick, where the audience is tricked into thinking the ball entered one cup when it instead ended up in another, this time they seem to be using bowls instead.

There doesn't seem to be anything within sight that starts with [KI]. Though there are the Kings ([KI]NGU キング) from the deck of cards, if they're going to use coins, then gold coins ([KI]NKA 金貨). If diacritics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakuten) are allowed for the [KI] spelling, then silver coins ([G]INKA　銀貨) would do as well...... But wait, that's technically impossible. (As a 1 yen coin is made of aluminium, 5 yen is brass, 10 yen is bronze, and the rest are nickel coins. Oh, there's also the 500 yen coin, which is a mixture of brass and nickel, I guess?)

I wonder if I should take a peek inside, as I placed my hand on the door handle. I'd better not, while it might help in catching the phantom thief Juumoji, it's too unrefined of me to peek into the Magic Club's backstage. Besides, as long as I just stand here, I could easily know if anyone is coming in or going out.

As I looked at my own notes, I immersed myself in enjoying this unexpected turn of events. While seeking out knowledge in my own pace is also fun in itself, I relish in these kinds of unforeseen incidents. Then again, based on my own experiences, sadly speaking, it would seem my wits, which are required in such a case, are by no means superior to the rest. In essence, I am unable to deal with such sudden situations with a calm head, but this time I have prepared sufficiently in terms of intel, so I should be able to do something about it.

As I kill time while going along such thoughts,

"Hmm? Why if it isn't Fukube?"

Said a surprised sounding voice. It was Tani-kun, with his firm jaw and round nose,

"You did rather well in the Wild Fire tournament."

That reminds me, we did beat his team during the cooking tournament. Upon discovering the declaration of crime, we totally forgotten about our duel. I smiled and said,

"Well, it's thanks to my pork miso soup, after all. My teammates also worked their best as a result, making my work look rather incomplete though."

"Team competitions sure is tough. I should have stick with individual tournaments. Those two girls were incredible, even Suhara was amazed."

"Though I didn't feel like I've won, as there aren't many participants. We were just lucky."

"By the way......"

Tani-kun turned his gaze towards my hand, which held the list of targeted clubs and items stolen. I subtly hid it away from sight.

"So have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

Tani-kun then turned his sights towards the Magic Club's billboard. I pondered on the possibility on why I would bump into him here. Just as I wondered if I should confirm that possibility with him, he began to puff his chest and said,

"The guy known as 'Juumoji'."

Bingo. I nodded and shrugged my shoulders,

"As expected of Tani-kun, no rumour ever escapes your attention."

I had meant that as a compliment, yet Tani-kun didn't look too pleased,

"Oh, so you do know."

"That's why I'm here."

"Well, it is you guys that discovered the crime note at the Cooking Club, so it's not surprising that you already knew...... But how did you end up figuring out it's the Magic Club?"

"It's easy of course, we follow the gojuuon pattern."

With an intrigued smile, Tani-kun said,

"...... Interesting. I was right to expect something of you."

Why thank you.

Predicting what his next line would be, I decided to move pre-emptively,

"So, what will our next duel be?"

"Oh, so you're up to it?"

Tani-kun said and smiled, he then lowered his voice,

"Anyway, to show my fairness...... I can tell you that the Wall Newspaper Club has been hit."

I knew that already, you didn't really need to tell me. Though I shouldn't ridicule him for it, less it complicates things.

However.

"It seems the Wall Newspaper Club's now fired up. Their next edition headline will feature the Juumoji story. Seems like they're doing a manhunt for 'Juumoji' with rewards."

Now I didn't know that, so I said with a genuine concern,

"Oh? Rewards, eh?"

"Details for the rewards will be included in their Special Edition No. 1...... Once this becomes public, it'll attract a great deal of attention."

"You bet."

"Everyone is hungry for something unexpected. At any rate, this will become the main talking point for tomorrow."

For me personally, who prefers to enjoy stuff alone, this was rather bad news. Having Tani-kun involved was already a kill-joy, but main talking point? Give me a break. Yet for the Classics Club, in need of some PR to promote themselves, this was good news. If the "Juumoji" incident were to get more and more exciting, attention will eventually be turned towards the Classics Club. As to which aspect I should place more importance on...... Guess I should prioritize on making Mayaka smile once again.

Placing his hand on my shoulder, Tani-kun smiled,

"Well, it's impressive that you're able to get wind of this so quickly. Sorry, but I shall be the one to catch this guy. I may not look it, but I'm quite the mystery fan, you know?"

Oh, really? While that was what I thought, I maintained my smiling expression,

"Do go easy on us,"

I gave him a polite response, to which he nodded,

"Good luck to us both then, Fukube!"