A 30 Year Old Virgin (One Who Haven’t Even Interacted with Women) Took an Exam to Become a Wizard.

Volume 3- Chapter 09: Whose Room is This?

A familiar, inorganic voice sounded in the back of my mind, and I was enveloped in light.

I closed my eyes to the usual, dazzling light phenomenon. I had jumped through time.

“Finally!”

The activation of salvation for me, who was at a loss, was well-timed. The goddess is quite something.

This is one of the top three best timings in time-leap history. This is the third time I’ve traveled through time.

“Now, which past is this?”

The first time was my room in my third year of high school, and the second time was a hospital room in my second year of university.

So, where is it this time? My room five years ago? The police station? Since it’s related to Saitou Mutsumi. Or, hopefully, not a prison.

The feeling of the sofa I was lying on changed to something hard. It was an unpleasant sensation. It was quite hard and cold, like a board, but seriously, a prison?

I opened my eyes with trepidation.

What I saw was a cream-colored ceiling with a stained oval ceiling light. It seemed like an ordinary room that could be anywhere. It wasn’t a cell in a police station or prosecutor’s office. The possibility of danger was gone, and I relaxed as I sat up.

“Good, it seems like a regular room. More like an office, though.”

On the large desk pushed against the wall was a desktop computer with a server. Three display monitors were connected to it via cables. There was an enviable work environment with a 50-inch, 32-inch, and 15-inch monitor, each used for different purposes.

I wanted equipment like this. I’ve negotiated with the president several times, but I’ve been using the same old laptop since I joined the company, with only the SSD replaced with a new one. He said it would be a waste to give the latest model to someone who finishes 80% of their work with text tools.

I’m faster and more comfortable with free text tools than with dedicated tools, whether it’s writing or UI design. Of course, I use Photoshop for images.

“But I shouldn’t be complaining. Whose room is this?”

It’s a time-leap related to the panty task. I believe that I’ve jumped to a place related to the target, it must be Mutsumi’s room or somewhere nearby.

It doesn’t look like a personal room. I understand the computer, but there’s no multi-function copier for business use. Like me, if it’s for personal use, I’d settle for a cheap inkjet printer.

It’s also strange that there are no clothes. If it’s Mutsumi’s room, there should definitely be police uniforms. Not only her own but also various police uniforms from different countries, a colorful collection. But there wasn’t a single one.

It seemed like a room in an apartment. There was an entrance, a balcony, a bathroom, and two other doors, making it a 2DK. It could also be an apartment, but since part of the wall was concrete, I deduced that it was more likely to be a mansion. It doesn’t matter, though.

“I wonder where Mutsumi is. Is she in this room or that one?”

I pulled open the door on the right. It was packed with stacked cardboard boxes, leaving no room to step on. It wasn’t just a room with no space to walk, but a room where all you could see were cardboard boxes as soon as you opened the door. It seemed to be used as a storage room, but it was so packed that you couldn’t even take a step inside. I closed the door.

I grabbed the handle of the door on the left, but it was locked and wouldn’t open. I tried knocking, but there was no response.

“A room that won’t open and a room I can’t enter. A mystery that calls for another mystery.”

It’s human nature to want to enter a room that you can’t enter. The partition wall seemed to be made only of gypsum board, so it wasn’t impossible to break in. But if this was Mutsumi’s room, it would be bad. No, it’s not right to break into someone’s room, no matter who they are. Still, I knocked on the wall to check its strength. It wasn’t hollow. There was another board behind the gypsum board, and it didn’t seem easy to break.

By the way, since I’ve gone back in time, Mutsumi doesn’t know me. All the more reason to establish a good relationship with the target. I don’t want any trouble.

I wanted to confirm how far back in time I had gone, but there wasn’t a single clock in the room. The status screen only showed the remaining time for the trial. My smartphone wasn’t in my pocket.

Since there was nothing I could do, I left the room and was surprised to see masks hanging on the wall of the shoe cabinet in the entrance. They were plastic masks sold at festival stalls, featuring magical girls and transforming heroes. There were about ten of them.

“Don’t scare me… I almost peed my pants.”

While I was at it, I went to the bathroom in front of me to relieve my bladder. As I exhaled, I found what seemed to be a spare key. I took it just in case. Should I leave now?

“To go out after going out… How strange.” I muttered, opening the door just a little.

Please don’t let me bump into the resident when I get home. Getting arrested for trespassing in a time-leap destination is no joke.

Through the vertical gap, I saw an outdoor corridor with a long handrail. Below was a parking lot, and across the street were a convenience store and a post office. This room was on the second floor of an apartment building.

“You were released due to the expiration of the detention period, but don’t think you can escape. I’ll be back with an arrest warrant!”

A loud, angry voice made me quickly close the door. My illegal entry had been discovered. The police were too well-prepared, waiting to arrest me as soon as I showed up.

“Bam!” I slammed the door shut. “That Saitou kid. She’s learning unnecessary knowledge at school. I’ll teach that instructor a lesson.” I heard him closing in.

I’d heard that voice recently, scattered throughout the conversation. It was probably the detective who came to my house. The target of the arrest wasn’t me but the resident next door. And that person seemed to be Mutsumi.

This room was chosen for the time-leap because it was nearby and unoccupied.

I deduced that she had been arrested once but released due to insufficient evidence. However, the detectives were convinced that she was the culprit.

I was relieved that they didn’t come to arrest me. Of course, it’s not normal for an unrelated person to suddenly appear in a neighbor’s house. If I could control this skill, it would be the strongest one.

Is Mutsumi really the kidnapper? I only talked to her briefly, but I can’t imagine her as the culprit. There’s no evidence, of course. I just had a vague feeling.

Hmm? Mutsumi was released… Wait, what?

She was arrested after I met her. If this is a few days in the past, wouldn’t there be no talk of an arrest? Then, is the time I’m in the future?

“As expected of the chief, you’re confident. Are you going to storm the police academy and beat up the instructor you don’t like?”

“You idiot. It’s just a joke. I was just saying it. It’s not good to antagonize the instructors.”

“Of course. Haha.”

“I’ll go back to the station first. I’ll gather circumstantial evidence to get an arrest warrant.”

“So, you’ll start with a thorough investigation in this area. Then I’ll do some questioning around here and head back.”

“Okay, I’ll go ahead. Don’t overwork yourself. Even the police are prioritizing health these days due to work-style reform.”

“Yes, I’ll leave on time.”

“Good, as long as you understand.”

The detectives’ conversation grew louder as they approached and quieter as they moved away. I felt like I had made a great discovery. The Doppler effect, which applies to ambulances and patrol cars, also applies to humans.

The sound of footsteps on the metal stairs grew quieter and eventually disappeared.

“Good, I’ll go to Mutsumi’s room. Wait, I need a reason to visit.”

I wanted to confront her directly about the panties, but I could imagine how she would react, given that she was suspected of kidnapping. Even if I went there, she probably wouldn’t open the door for me. And if she did, she’d probably glare at me like I was a cockroach.

It’s a deception, but I’ll actually deceive her. In this case, I’ll go with the story about Honoka. As a visitor from the victim’s side, she shouldn’t be able to refuse me if so.

The tactic was decided. I opened the door to go outside but ended up closing it again.

… Clang, clang, clang.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs was getting closer. I didn’t want to run into the resident. If a different man came out of the room, it would seem suspicious. In today’s society, where relationships are weak, people are sensitive to any strangeness from their neighbors. I’ve never lived in an apartment, but that’s probably how it is.

“Damn, whoever you are, hurry up and leave.”

I waited inside the door for the footsteps to pass, but they stopped in front of the door. It might be a delivery or mail. But that expectation was quickly shattered. The resident had returned home. I heard the sound of a key being inserted and turned in the keyhole.

“Hmm, did I forget to lock the door? But that’s impossible for me. Which means…”

The resident realized that the door wasn’t locked. This is bad; my illegal entry will be discovered. The door slowly opened. I had to escape, so I ran into the bathroom. I had to wait for the right moment to escape.

“That’s strange. The door I locked isn’t locked. Did someone play a prank?”

Time seemed to stretch. The resident took off their shoes in the entrance and spoke in a slow, dramatic tone. It seemed like they had a lot of free time, even though there might be a burglar. Or maybe it just sounded that way. I was sweating not just because of the summer heat now.

“Who’s there? Bad kids… Hmm. This door is locked. Do you know magic, little girl? I’ll have to put you in a suitable costume.”

The resident went past the bathroom where I was hiding and into the room with the locked door. Click. The sound of the key turning. They had entered the room that wouldn’t open. Now was my chance to escape. I quietly left the bathroom, but the resident’s soliloquy caught my attention. It was as if there was someone else in the room…

To ensure a quick escape, I silently opened the entrance door and tiptoed into the copy machine room. I peered into the room that wouldn’t open.

“!?”

It was a 20-mat room, like a photo studio. There was a background screen on the back wall, and even from a glance, I could see various scenes: a cityscape, a building rooftop, a sunset beach, and a waterfall. There were three-point lights and three tripods.

A variety of girls’ costumes were hanging on a hanger stand. There were about 30 outfits, including total coordination outfits that could be featured in children’s fashion magazines, everyday clothes of anime heroines, and revealing, super-miniskirt costumes that a transformed magical girl might wear.

There was also a wide variety of underwear, with over 100 pieces of innerwear and panties stacked on top of each other.

“You’ve been a good girl, haven’t you? I must have forgotten to lock the door. Oh, and that face of yours is nice too. Let me take a picture.”

A girl was lying on a canopy bed, with a towel stuffed in her mouth, her hands and feet tied, and her body naked and tear-stained.

“I’ll remove the gag, so don’t make any noise. If you behave, I’ll let you go, but until then, indulge my hobby. Oh, and I need to lock the room. Wait for me.”

I recognized the voice. It was the stern-faced man, whom the other detective called “Chief,” who had visited my house. When he came, he looked at Sugumi with strange eyes and left. He had returned.

I wasn’t sure if he was the culprit in the previous case, but he was kidnapping a girl, and that was a fact.

The man turned around and was wearing a mask. It was one of the masks hanging in the entrance.

“Who are you… Morishita Sugumi’s…?”

I had no plan. Until I got here, half of my mind was occupied with the danger of being caught, and the other half was filled with curiosity and thoughts about how to get to Mutsumi’s room.

But my mind went blank.

“Are you targeting Sugumi…?”

I don’t remember what I did after that. If I left this guy alone, Sugumi would be in danger. That thought dominated my mind. Something snapped.

T/N: Regarding the officer, even I am confused. The previous chapter said that the older one, probably the chief, was the one who eyed Mari, while the mob-like younger one was the one who looked at Sugumi. Now it says it was the older one(probably the chief) who looked at Sugumi.