Chapter 23: Interrogation.

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Translated and Edited by: luccayn.

Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you're close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it's cutesy and childlike.
-senpai: A common suffix and noun used to address or refer to one's older or more senior colleagues in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club.

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Mangō High School is located up a gentle slope along the river from the nearest station. Given that it accommodates a large number of students, the school building is much larger than that of my own high school.

And now, Tsukino and I are at a park on a nearby hill. We plan to call Kazami here to gather information about Kumoi.

“It’s an impressive school building.”

“But our school has a higher deviation score. We’re all about quality and substance.”

“Hehe, so you’re competitive about that sort of thing.”

“Of course. Shu’un academy is a private school, so our public school is effectively number one in its area.”

“Shinji, it’s not like you’re particularly good at studying or have the money, so you had no choice but to go to a public school, right?”

Looking down at the dock directly connected to the back of the school building, I saw several students in wetsuits and life jackets gathered. They must be members of the boat club.

Among them was a girl with a bob cut in a bright color, easily recognizable from a distance, whose face I had seen in the investigation file. That must’ve been Shizuku Kumoi.

“…It seems like she’s standing quite close to the boy next to her.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think they’re dating?”

“Well, it’s possible.”

“Maybe she broke up with Kazami during the summer vacation.”

Tsukino, your innocence really is something else. Brings a tear to my eye, really.

“Isn’t it more likely that she was cheating or two-timing? If she truly betrayed Hareta, that would be more plausible, wouldn’t it?”

Actually, my suspicions are leaning in that direction too.

“Geez… Shinji, even though you’re so devoted, why do you have to think the worst of others?”

“It’s just a possibility. Anyway, we need to talk to Kazami and gather information. That’s why we called him here, right?”

“Y-yeah. Make sure to keep the call connected,” she cringed.

“I know. But with your haircut, won’t the earphones be hard to hide?”

“I can hide them. I’ve actually used some spray to lift my hair a bit. See?”

“That’s a handy tool.”

Then, I sat on a bench on the other side of the hill, put a wireless earphone in my right ear, and opened a paperback copy of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None.”

The reason I hadn’t read such a famous work despite claiming to be a book lover was simply because of the selection in the library and the availability of books. If I can’t read it for free, there’s a high chance I don’t know it.

“Hey! Good to see you! Long time no see!”

A few minutes later, Kazami appeared. The sound of Tsukino swallowing nervously conveyed her tension to me.

“Hi Kazami-san. How have you been?”

“Not great. Well, you dumped me, so I haven’t been feeling too good. Why did you contact me anyway? Did you break up with that guy from before?”

“No, we weren’t dating. We’re just friends. I turned you down because it was awkward being with everyone.”

“Oh, I see. Sorry about that~! It was love at first sight, Michiru-chan. I wasn’t very considerate.”

Damn, he’s so forward it’s like he isn’t even human.

“So, getting to the main point…”

“What is it? Do you have feelings for me or something?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Well, I wanted to ask you about Shizuku Kumoi. I heard she’s in the student council with you.”

“Huh? Shizuku? What? What’s going on?” He looked like an anime character.

His exaggerated reaction and the way he spoke exactly like his texts were a bit impressive. There’s definitely a certain number of girls who like this kind of guy, and he probably does it without any malice.

“A friend of mine is interested in Kumoi, but I don’t know anyone at Mangō High except you, so I had no one else to ask.”

“Oh, I see. Well, I don’t mind. I’ll tell you what I know.”

He’s completely indifferent. I hate these kinds of superficial relationships between guys and girls.

“Alright, let’s start asking questions. Are you ready?” I told her through the hidden call.

“Ugh… He’s so close…” She whispered back.

“Huh? What?”

“Uh, it’s nothing! Never mind!”

It seems like they’re having quite a close conversation, possibly even close enough for him to put his arm around her. The guy.

It must be tough to be touched by a stranger, but it’s my duty to help people no matter what form it takes, even if it means getting hurt. If I’m going to save Hareta and the Heroines, there’s a role I absolutely must fulfill. A promise.

Get used to the pain, Tsukino. I’ll pick up the pieces for you.

“Ask him what kind of guy she likes,” I relayed.

“What’s Kumoi-san’s type in guys?”

“I heard she likes guys who are funny, who won’t bore her. By the way, I like girls like you, Michiru-chan.”

“Now, ask him what guys she dislikes.”

“Ah, I wonder if they also heard some complaints about you. They really don’t wanna mess it up when it comes to her. Have you heard anything?”

Nice improvisation, but pushing for specifics might not be the best move.

“Why did you think Shizuku was complaining with me? We’re just in the same student council, that’s all.”

Applying the Sally-Anne test¹, I see.

Since Kazami is hiding the fact that he’s dating Tsukino to woo Michiru, this is knowledge Tsukino, who shouldn’t know about their relationship, shouldn’t have. It’s probably because of his lack of real combat experience.

“Well, you see…” She began.

“They thought that since she was the council vice-president, you might be the best choice.”

“Um, well, they thought that since she was the council vice-president, you, the president, might know something, reliable as you are. Have you heard any news?”

“I see. Well, actually, I’ve gotten that quite a lot. Despite how I may look, I’m pretty popular, you know.”

“Ah, really?”

“But, I chose you in the end. You’re just the best, you know. Can’t say much more than that.”

“Thank you. Hah. Ha.”

…Once this is over, maybe I’ll give him a prize or something. Damn, the guy has no filters.

“Hey, Michiru-chan, are you feeling unwell? Is it your period or something?”

“—! Okay, that’s it!”

Uh oh. She’s snapped.

“Calm down, Tsukino. I’m sorry he has a few screws loose. I’ll even apologize on his behalf, just calm down!”

“What do you mean ‘period’?! You’ve never even experienced it, yet you casually say that! You probably think you understand women’s feelings just by saying that, which is seriously infuriating!”

“Mi-Michiru-chan?”

“Tsukino, stop!”

“Besides, even if it were my period, I’m trying my best not to inconvenience anyone around me! And my bad mood is because of other reasons—!”

“I know there’s more nuance than that! Is that enough?” I pleaded.

“M-Michiru-chan? What’s wrong?”

…

“Y-Yeah. I’m just a bit sick and it hurts, sorry.”

“G-Gotcha. Sorry, I also said something weird just now.”

“Don’t sweat it. But, I just… Give me one second, let me get my meds… Gulp.”

It was almost over. This whole plan almost went down. Why can’t he just not tease her about something he’d never understand?

“What kind of complaints was Kumoi-san making?”

“Ah, well, she was talking about her first love, you know? She said he was indecisive and not manly enough. She mentioned how she couldn’t deal with a guy who couldn’t make decisions or resolve conflicts.”

“Oh, wasn’t she into interesting guys?”

“Wasn’t that a minimum requirement for a boyfriend? She said she couldn’t see him as a man if she couldn’t rely on him in times of trouble.”

Is this about Hareta? It fits the description, but then it would paradoxically imply that they were dating.

In other words, if they were dating, it would increase the likelihood that Kumoi went to a love hotel with another guy while dating Hareta, making him a complete victim.

This doesn’t sit right with me.

“Can’t we dig deeper into what kind of guy her first boyfriend was?”

“Her boyfriend? Well, I didn’t ask about that part. She just went out with him because she felt sorry. He was pitiful, or something like that.”

I see…

“For starters, she said the guy she liked was a childhood friend. When she argued with Shizuku, she would bring up his good points and compare them. Like ‘he’s kind’ or ‘he listens.’ It’s really annoying, you know?”

“Don’t interject, Tsukino,” I stopped her before she could even speak up.

“I hate this guy!” She whispered back.

At this point, it feels pretty conclusive. But there’s still one nagging doubt I can’t shake. If only there were one more hint, I could connect the dots.

“Ask him about her childhood friend. Maybe he saw albums or old photos.”

“About her childhood… Shizuku used to be pretty tomboyish, so they always used to race and stuff when they were kids. I think her lack of resistance to guys might stem from that kind of upbringing.”

Alright.

“This is enough. I’ll think of the words to drag Kumoi out in front of Hareta.”

“Ugh. I’m tired…” She responded in whispers.

“Well done, Tsukino. Anyway, the clock’s ticking and I’m tired, too. Hurry up out of there. Bye.”

“Huh? No, wait a moment! Hey—!” Her voice came louder.

I hung up and started walking towards the station.

My destination was the estuary on the Pacific side, where the boats turned around. I had seen the rowing team take breaks there a few times. It would be a perfect spot to pull someone aside and have a private conversation.

Now, onto phase two.

The effort Hareta put into involving students from other schools to solve our class’s problem really highlighted his protagonist-like qualities.

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1 — The Sally–Anne test is a psychological test, used in developmental psychology to measure a person’s social cognitive ability to attribute false beliefs to others. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally%E2%80%93Anne_test)

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