Waking Up Engaged to a Cool Yandere Beauty: My Wild Journey with a Love-Obsessed Senior - Episode 10: And Then, the Case Was Passed to the Drowsy Detective

Episode 10: And Then, the Case Was Passed to the Drowsy Detective

The sharp, grating sound of rusted iron echoed through the air. On the rusty iron stairs, a few dried leaves that had fallen from the tree next to the building were lightly scattered, making it a bit slippery and dangerous.

“Uka. Did you figure anything out over there?”

Nikaido, walking behind me, stopped near the landing and asked.

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m still here. How about you?”

“Well, it’s about the same… but I have some information.”

Nikaido pulled out a thin pink envelope.

“Is that a ‘I Love You’ letter or something?”

“I wish it were, but sadly, it’s not.”

He handed it to me, likely meaning for me to read it.

“Uh… ‘If you’ve learned your lesson, quit the sports festival’… This is from the culprit, isn’t it?!”

It was an unexpected clue.

“So, with this, where are you planning to go, Nikaido-san?”

“Heh, do you know? There’s a former famous detective at this school who has solved countless tough cases and gained fame both far and wide.”

“N-No way!?”

I had heard of it. It was probably someone known as the “Sleeping…”

“Ah, so you do know. His name is ‘Utane no Utakata’.”

Yeah… that’s not who I was imagining. The one I thought of was a character from a fictional world.

“So, you’re going to ask him for help?”

“Yeah. I’ve never met anyone as sharp as him.”

Certainly, it might be a good idea to go directly to the affected clubs to hear their stories, but it might be just as well to shift our focus here.

“Are you coming too? He’s not exactly a likable guy, though.”

“Sure, I’ll go. I’m also curious about that letter.”

“Alright, then let’s go in.”

On the third floor of the emergency stairs, Nikaido and I entered the building. We headed to the right. A dirty cream-colored door awaited us.

The hallway was in disarray, with textbooks and empty plastic bottles scattered on the floor.

“It’s so messy here.”

“Yeah. This place can only be accessed through the emergency stairs. Look behind you.”

I turned around at his words. The hallway was blocked by a large pile of desks. With that many piled up, no one would be able to come here through the internal stairs or the elevator.

“How does the school not say anything about this?”

“That’s how influential he is. Now, here we are.”

“…The Folk Culture Research Club?”

That was what was written on the room’s sign. I knew most clubs, but this one I’d never heard of.

“Abbreviated as Fūzoku-ken. This is his base.”

“That’s the worst abbreviation ever.”

Sounds like a playboy might be running it. Blonde hair, tanned skin… you know, that type.

The door creaked loudly as we entered the dark room.

“Heh, you came, Nikaido. Did you bring what I asked for?”

“Uh? A girl?”

The voice that echoed in the pitch black was unmistakably the voice of a young girl.

“Yeah, I bought it. The Pokémon card pack.”

“You got it!? Give it to me!”

The lights flicked on, revealing a girl who looked no older than a middle schooler. She had white hair, white eyelashes, red eyes, and a fragile body that looked like delicate glass.

She looked like a character straight out of a fairy tale. In fact, the room itself gave off that vibe.

“…This is so fairytale-like.”

The walls had floral patterns. The white carpet on the floor had unicorns printed on it. The sofa by the wall was a strange shape, and there were piles of stuffed animals on it.

This wasn’t a clubroom; it was more like a personal room.

“Let me introduce you. This is…”

“I can introduce myself!”

The girl, having received what looked like a card pack from Nikaido, puffed out her chest and struck a proud pose, crossing her arms.

“Hi, Uka-kun. I’m Utakata Kanata, a third-year. This is important—I’m your senior!”

“Ah, yeah. Nice to meet you.”

I quickly bowed my head in greeting.

“Alright, good. So, Nikaido, what’s the business today?”

“I’ve got a case I need you to solve. …This.”

Nikaido handed her the letter. At the same time, he started explaining the situation, describing the foul-smelling attacks that had happened in several clubs yesterday.

“I see… the sports festival, huh? Hmm. So, to summarize, someone is trying to reduce the number of participants in the sports festival, and there’s a possibility it will continue. And this is… ah, I got a rare card!”

As she summarized the key points, Utakata-san opened the card pack she had just received. It seemed like she wasn’t really interested in the case.

“Hey, hey, take this seriously.”

“It’s just too easy.”

“Seriously?”

Had she already figured out who the culprit was?

“Uka-kun, you’re so easy to read. Unfortunately, I don’t know who the culprit is yet. But we just need to sift through the possibilities. So, it’s not really a case that needed to be brought to me… ugh, this card is a duplicate.”

She continued tearing open the pack with a “beribari” sound.

“…So, what do we do, Niikado-san? This person isn’t reliable at all.”

I whispered to Niikado-san. Is this really our detective? Should we trust them?

“…Funny. I was just starting to think the same thing.”

“You heard me, huh? Idiots…”

After some time, she finally stopped and said, “For now, I’m not planning to officially solve the case. I dislike the type of people who participate in the ball games. But, as a token for the Pokémon card, I’ll give you a small hint.”

“Great. I’m counting on you!”

“Let’s get started!”

After enjoying her moment, she carefully placed the rare card in a protective sleeve and stored it in a plastic case. Then, she turned to face us.

“—Victims and suspects. These two are not necessarily opposites. Sometimes they can overlap, or even be the same person… Something like that.”

…

“So, the great detective said that, huh?”

When I relayed her advice back to the clubroom, the president snorted. Meanwhile, my senior said:

“…Uh, senpai?”

“What is it?”

“You’ve been so close for a while now…”

Her left hand hadn’t moved. The senior was sticking so closely to me.

“Is that so? I think you’re just imagining things.”

“Re-really?”

“More importantly, don’t you think it’s more important to consider the meaning of those words?”

Ah, I’ve been brushed off. But honestly, it wasn’t too bad.

“By the way, did a pink envelope arrive for either of you?”

“Eh?”

Both of them gave me confused looks. Were they wondering if I was talking about an affair?

“I’ll clarify—I’m not expecting any ‘I love you’ letters, okay?”

“Really?”

“Of course! I’ve never even thought about expecting a love letter!”

I was pretty sure I’d be disappointed either way!

“Shion, relax. It’s fine. After all, there’s no woman better than you.”

The president smiled confidently and leaned in a bit, as if offering a friendly shoulder to lean on.

“Meaning, the chances of Uka falling for someone else are very low. Or, is there something you’re suspecting?”

“…Glance.”

“Eh? What do you mean, senpai?”

I could have sworn she looked at me for a moment.

“If you’re asking, well… a little.”

“Hm? Go ahead and say it, Shion.”

The president folded her arms and gave me a confident expression, as if she were ready to hear whatever I had to say.

“…Glance.”

“Eh? What? You really do have something, don’t you?”

Was she planning something? But I didn’t really think she was that type of person.

“Actually, yesterday… I couldn’t handle Rei-kun’s love and ended up passing out.”

Pfft. My senior blushed.

“What… what did you just say, Uka… You…?”

“Eh? Eh? …Eh?”

I couldn’t believe my ears. This was impossible. I was wearing handcuffs when I went to sleep yesterday!

“U-um, senpai. Could I talk to you for a second? Just the two of us?”

This was getting out of hand. I whispered to her.

“Eh? Are you serious? If you leave the clubroom now, it’ll look even more suspicious.”

“I don’t know! It’s a misunderstanding!”

I grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room. We stopped in the empty hallway.

“Rei-kun?”

When I turned around, I saw my senior looking at me with a worried expression.

“Senpai, I was thinking about this earlier, but… saying things like that in public is a bit…”

Honestly, it was hard on my heart.

“…Does it bother you if people think Rei-kun and I have something?”

“No, that’s not the issue… I just wish you’d be more considerate of how it affects the people around you.”

It didn’t matter to me personally. I didn’t care what people thought about me.

“I just don’t want you to lose your reputation over things like this.”

A single sentence. Yet, people loved to gossip and make jokes, even about the smallest things.

“…You really are so kind.”

“I’m just…!”

“Senpai!?”

I was interrupted midway. There was a soft sound, like a kiss, on my neck.

“Thank you. But I don’t mind. If rumors about you and I spread, I don’t care, even if they’re bad ones. Now, let’s go back to Mariri’s place, okay? The case isn’t solved yet, right?”

With that, my senior happily took my hand.

In the end, had everything been in her hands all along?

But, well…

“…Yeah, senpai.”

Even though she was a handful, my senior was still cute, which made it an unfair situation.

I couldn’t help but feel a little exasperated as I watched her back.