Chapter 46: Just tell me!

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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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As Mishima-senpai had said, there was nothing unusual in the student council room.

It was about half the size of a regular classroom, with a rolling whiteboard and desks arranged in a U-shape, presumably with the seats for the senior members on the right.

On the desks lay scattered supplies—colored paper, scissors, and other tools likely used to make decorations. The trash bin was clean, so maybe they'd taken out the garbage earlier in the morning.

“Shinji-kun, this isn't regular colored paper; it's called ohanagami,” Tsukino said.

“Huh, I didn't know that.”

“Watch! You fold it like this… and ta-da! A paper flower!”

“I see, so that's how they make those.”

In Tsukino's hands was a flower, the kind often seen at school entrance ceremonies or decorating signs at pachinko parlors. I was surprised by how skillfully she'd crafted it.

“Look, look, Shinji-kun! There's an odd gap here in the corner. Suspicious, don't you think?”

Why was she so excited? Maybe she was enjoying the whole Watson sidekick experience.

“That's probably where they kept the championship flag. Normally, I'd guess they slot this whiteboard into that space.”

“Makes sense… but I still don't get how anyone could move such a huge flag out of this room without anyone noticing.”

“…Yeah, it seems almost impossible.”

Honestly, I don't think it could be done.

With the back gate closed, the only way to leave Seijo High is through the front entrance. Today, though, some students were stationed there working on the sports festival gate until the very last minute, so sneaking out with the flag unnoticed would be nearly impossible.

That's probably why the planning committee members are combing the building. But with so many people searching, it's strange that they haven't found it within the 40-minute window they had.

“So, where did the flag go?”

“Off-campus, I'd say.”

“Wha—!? But you just said taking it out now would be impossible!”

“That's why I think Mishima-senpai and the others made a mistake. The flag was already gone by the time they checked. If it's not here, it must be outside the school.”

Tsukino blinked four times, her mouth hanging open in a puzzled “Huh?” At this point, I really wished she'd make up her mind on whether she wanted to be sweet, cunning, refined, or a bit of an airhead.

“Wait, what do you mean?”

“The championship flag we see is big and flashy, but that doesn't mean it's kept that way in storage.”

“Why not?”

“It's a flag. They probably roll it up, secure it to a long pole, and store it in a case.”

“Oh! That makes sense!”

In other words, what Mishima-senpai and the others saw was just the storage case of the championship flag, sitting in that corner. If they didn't actually check inside, it's not surprising they assumed it was still there.

“Then where did the tube Mishima-senpai saw go?” Tsukino asked.

“It was probably taken off-campus during the first event. It should be with the championship flag now.”

“Hmm? With the championship flag? But wait, wasn't the first event the 100-meter dash? If the committee members were searching, there's no way someone could sneak it out through the front gate.”

“No, the first event was the all-boys ‘Group Formation' that doubled as the opening ceremony.”

“Oh, that's right! During that, all the male committee members would've been participating, leaving the gate less guarded! A girl could've slipped it out!”

I pulled a folding chair over from the long table and sat down, thinking further.

“The question is where it was kept until the Group Formation started. Most likely, it was just left in the announcer's tent. That spot would be ideal for sneaking it out.”

“Why do you think that?”

“To avoid chaos, the loss of the flag was probably only reported to the senior committee members at first. Now that everyone's panicking, that's proof enough. So, Mishima-senpai and the others likely only informed a select few about the missing flag until right before the opening ceremony. The underclassmen were only clued in at the last minute.”

Tsukino, still wearing her bunny-ear headband, looked thoughtful—a comically serious expression given her playful accessory.

“If that's true, only the senior members were searching before the Group Formation. …Oh, I get it. If the tube was just lying around, the other committee members wouldn't realize anything was wrong. They'd assume ‘missing' meant the tube was empty rather than gone. Meanwhile, the ones in the know would assume the entire tube was missing and keep searching inside the school.”

In Group Formation, even one missing person throws off the whole shape. No matter how busy they were, the committee members had no choice but to participate.

Now, about the flag return ceremony itself… Could a student really find a way to avoid the formality of handing the flag directly to the principal?

“…Oh, I see. That's why Higashide introduced me to Mishima-senpai.”

“Hey, hey, don't leave me in the dark here. Explain it to me too!” Tsukino said.

“I'll explain as we walk. Let's head toward the school gate.”

“Hey, Shinji-kun! You don't need to act like such a detective! I'd be happier if you just told me without the suspense!”

It's not that I'm trying to act like a detective. The truth is, even though I've figured out the answer, putting it into words isn't easy.

Maybe Holmes or Kindaichi felt the same way, looking cool but struggling to lay out the steps clearly.

With Tsukino tugging at my jacket, whining “Come on, pleeease,” I pieced together a simple explanation in my head as we headed for the school gate.

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