Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai – Timetable of the Inexperienced Chapter 5

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The Genius’ Deduction Periodically Toys with the Hidden X

Ichinose Village, a small isolated village located in the mountains. Now, at the village chief’s reception room.

“Thanks for coming, you three!” The son of the village chief, Oomori Kanade, greeted the three visitors. “I would have never imagined the three famous detectives to come all the way out here!” His face was filled with joy, as he turned towards the three people in front of him.

“Possessing calculative abilities like a machine, the ‘Small Judgement Device’ Ogata Rizu-san!”

“As long as it’s a request, I will go wherever…Though, who is using this kind of nickname towards me? Especially that ‘small’ part is very disturbing…”

The first one to get called out was Rizu, who responded calmly. She wore the clothes of what you expect a detective to look, but because of her small body, it looked more like cosplay. The pipe in her hand naturally had no fire in it.

“Solving the criminal’s crime like reading a story out of a book, ‘Tenant of Psychology and Truth’ Fumino Furuhashi-san!”

“This request sounded pretty interesting, so I decided to check it out…But, could you maybe stop calling me like that? It’s pretty embarrassing…”

Following that was Fumino, whose smile quickly changed into a sharp scowl. She wore similar clothes to Rizu, and although she was bigger than her, it still looked like cosplay.

“As for you, I don’t have much extra information, but I guess you’ll be helpful, ‘Plain Glasses’ Yuiga Nariyuki-kun!”

“Why is that explanation so vague…? I wanted a cool title as well…”

The last one to be introduced was Nariyuki, who flashed a wry smile. He was wearing an average suit. He’s something like a manager to these two detectives, and found this job for them.

“Well, whatever…More importantly, we need more intel on the request. You want us to solve the secret code that was left behind in your village, right?”

“Yeah, there’s the talk of some secret treasure you can find, but I can’t figure it out for the life of me.”

Although this was the first time they both met, since they were about the same age, they talked casually with each other.

“If it’s a request, then we’ll try our best.” Nariyuki showed a complicated expression. “I don’t think you should get up your hopes for some unprecedented riches.”

This wasn’t the first time Nariyuki got a request like this. However, never once did they actually find some secret treasure. Even after they made it through the riddles and arrived at the treasure, it was filled with emptiness—most of the time.

“Well, I figured as much.” Oomori seemed to be aware of this, as he grinned. “But, if we were to find a treasure, it’d definitely end up on TV, right?”

“Hm…? I mean, I guess you’re right?” Nariyuki tried to figure out Oomori’s intention behind those words.

“If so, then this village would finally get some more attention, don’t you agree?” Oomori looked outside the window.

Nariyuki followed suit.

“Once the people here grow up, they start leaving. But you know, I actually like this village quite a bit.” His saddened gaze traced the outline of the village. “That’s why I want to find some treasure no matter what. I want to use that for the village. It’s my job as the son of the village chief, right?” He blushed ever so slightly.

Nariyuki appreciated Oomori’s passion.

“And then, I’d be super popular!”

Now, were these words his honest feelings, or just an attempt at hiding his bashfulness? Either way…Nariyuki turned towards Rizu and Fumino.

“Solving a code is my speciality. Leave it to me.”

“If it’s some sort of a story, then I can have a go at it as well.”

The two had been listening as well, and now were brimming with motivation.

“Then, Oomori, could you show us what you were talking about?”

“Yeah, of course!”

Nariyuki accepted a file from Oomori, and opened it up in front of them. Slowly, they read through the text.

[Past that]

[In the rat’s right eye is a star, in it’s left eye reflected black water, as well as faint dancing light]

[The rabbit turns its back to the peeking gold, a hundred buildings in front, swallowing the infants]

[Scorched by the horse’s heart of sun, passing the vermillion gate, who sits there in tranquility]

[The chicken looks up at the burning sky, push over the perch and set it on fire, raise the smoke higher than the mountains]

That’s all it said.

“Hmm…? How do I say this…” Nariyuki tilted his head.

“[Past that] is probably the title of this nursery rhyme. I don’t mean to be suspicious, but this doesn’t seem to be some secret code for a treasure…” Rizu seemed to be agreeing with Nariyuki.

That being said, Nariyuki wasn’t an expert when it came to secret codes like that. As for Rizu, her strong point was riddles involving math, not something like this.

I guess there’s only one person to rely on, huh…

Everyone’s gazes naturally drifted towards one person in the room.

“Hm…? Well…What should I even say here…?”

She didn’t even catch on to these gazes, as she just groaned with one eyebrow furrowed.

“Furuhashi, did you find something interesting?”

“Hm…Something interesting…is everything, I guess?”

“Eh…? What do you mean?”

“I mean, it’s so inconsistent…like the emotions coming from it and the content are not matching up at all…”

“What are you talking about?” Rizu asked, utterly confused.

Then again, Nariyuki felt the same.

“Now now, you three. Even if you are private detectives, I doubt you will be able to solve it right away. Stay over at our village, and think about it tomorrow.”

“Yeah, makes sense…”

“We should probably do that.”

Nariyuki and Rizu nodded along with Oomori’s offer. By the time they made it here, the sun had already started to set, and they were exhausted from the long travels, so expecting the riddle to make sense now was too much to ask for.

“Hmm…”

Only Fumino kept her gaze glued to the paper.

“That decides it then. Could you please guide our guests to their rooms?” Oomori clapped his hands together, and raised his voice.

“Okay, god it~”

Following that, the door to the room opened, and a young girl walked inside.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Takemoto Uruka, and I will show you the way!” The girl named herself.

Her body was well-tanned, and she wore a cliché maid uniform.

“…So you have a maid.”

Because of that comment, even Fumino looked away from the paper, blinking in confusion. Since they were responsible as the village chiefs, the Oomori family surely was prestigious, but having a maid in such a small village was a bit dubious.

“Ahahaha, well, there’s various reasons for this, so let’s go with that.” Uruka seemed to have realized Nariyuki’s suspicion, and added a few words with a wry smile. “For now, I’ll be guiding you to your rooms!”

The girl waved her hand cheerfully, and felt less like a maid, and more like a tour guide.

“…?”

Nariyuki was a bit dubious as to why Uruka kept sending him glances, but ignored it for now.

***

The following morning.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?”

“!?”

Nariyuki woke up to a girl’s shriek like that.

“What happened…!?”

He jumped up from the bed, put on his glasses, and headed towards the voice. As a result of that, he spotted Uruka standing in front of a room.

“W-What happened?!”

“T-That…!”

Uruka pointed inside the room with a quivering hand. Nariyuki looked into that direction.

“Oomori!?”

He found Oomori collapsed in a puddle of blood, which led him to let out a scream as well.

“You okay!?”

He stormed inside, towards Oomori.

“Pulse…and breathing…Alright, he’s still alive!” Nariyuki swiftly did first-aid measures, and spotted a wound on the back of Oomori’s head.

As an amateur however, Nariyuki couldn’t tell how severe the injury was.

“Waaah! Uruka-chan, is there a doctor in this village!?”

“Ah, um, there’s Kominami-senpai…”

“Let’s call her right away. Uruka-san, the phone please.”

“G-Got it!”

Fumino and Rizu seemed to have arrived as well, and the two handled the call.

No traces left behind, huh…

Nariyuki figured that he could leave things to the girls, and headed inside the room.

Someone close to him…? I guess the prime suspect would be the first witness…

He looked over at Uruka’s back, who was clearly panicking.

No way, right…

He shook his head, and banished this possibility from his head.

A short while passed, the silence interrupted by a loud siren and the brakes being pulled. Following that, the door swung open, and someone stormed inside.

“Where is the injured person!?” A young girl screamed, as she gasped for air.

“Ah, over here!” Nariyuki was a bit flustered at the age of the girl, but quickly guided her to Oomori.

“Got it.” The girl calmed down, and went down on her knees, next to Oomori. “I’m Kominami Asumi. Sadly my old man wasn’t present, so I have to handle the emergency care.” She—Asumi started the procedure with skilled hand movement.

So amazing…She’s still a child, and is this skilled…

“Just to let you know, I’m 18, and older than you folks.”

“Eh…!?”

Asumi threw Nariyuki a harsh scowl, as if she had seen right through him.

“…It’s fine, the wound isn’t that deep. The blood stopped as well.”

Nariyuki sighed in relief, listening to her words.

“That being said, it’s a wound on the head. We need to go through a proper check-up to see if there’s any internal damages.” Asumi seemed to have finished her first-aid treatment, and moved away from Oomori.

“Then, let me help you…”

“No, I’ll have someone else help me.” Asumi rejected Nariyuki’s offer. “More importantly, shouldn’t you be worrying about that?”

She opened up Oomori’s hand, and picked up a piece of paper.

“Is this like a dying message? Well, I ain’t letting him die though.” Asumi flashed a teasing smile, and handed Nariyuki the paper. “This is your job now, right?” She apparently saw through Nariyuki and the others.

“…Understood, leave it to us.”

Nariyuki and the others looked at the paper.

[Past that]

[In the rat’s right eye is a star, in it’s left eye reflected black water, as well as faint dancing light]

[The rabbit turns its back to the peeking gold, a hundred buildings in front, swallowing the infants]

[Scorched by the horse’s heart of sun, passing the vermillion gate, who sits there in peace]

[The chicken looks up at the burning sky, push over the perch and set it on fire, raise the smoke higher than the mountains]

It was the exact same they had read yesterday, but with this situation, they gained a new insight on it.

“Hey, Nariyuki-kun, this first line…”

“Probably reflects this entire situation.”

Both Fumino and Rizu arrived at the same conclusion.

“A rat, huh…I guess that was the weapon used…” Asumi pointed inside the blood puddle, a rat ornament to be precise.

It’s left side was down, making it look like its right eye looked up at the ceiling.

“Black water…faint light…”

The blood on the rat’s left eye was already dried, looking more ‘black’ than red. Around it were pieces of broken glass cups, sparkling in the morning light.

“The criminal purposefully created this situation…?”

“And Oomori-kun grasped the paper with the hints to tell us about that…?”

“That’s probably what it boils down to…But then…”

The three looked at each other.

“““A calling card murder?””” Their voices overlapped.

“Well, it was a failed attempt though…”

“As for now, right?”

“We found out the first line of the riddle. There’s a slim chance it will end like this.”

There, Fumino seemed to have realized something, and approached Asumi.

“Um, can you tell the time of the crime!? A rough estimate would be enough!”

“Hm…judging from that amount of blood, and how it’s tried up, it probably happened before morning dawned.”

“I knew it…!” Fumino clapped her hands together.

“Furuhashi, did you figure something out…?” Nariyuki couldn’t figure out what was going on, and just asked Fumino instead.

“Every of the riddle’s lines begin with an animal, right?”

“Yeah, I was wondering about that…”

……

““The twelve Zodiac signs.””

Nariyuki and Fumino’s voice overlapped.

“And, the twelve signs reflect the time, right? The Rat goes from half past 12 towards 1am, and the Rabbit starts from 5am to 7am. So, if they reflect the times of the crime…”

“!?”

Nariyuki figured out what Fumino was trying to say, as his gaze shot towards the clock.

“Don’t tell me, the second crime is already happening…!?”

“I want to assume that I’m just thinking too deeply into it, but…”

“Either way, we should head to the location right away…Fumino, can you figure out the next location?” Rizu asked, to which Fumino nodded.

“[The rabbit turns its back to the peeking gold, a hundred buildings in front, swallowing the infants]…I think that’s a school, referring to the endless windows of it. The school in this village…” She looked towards Asumi.

“To the East. I attended that school before, myself. Right now, there’s only one teacher there with the name Mafuyu…Kirisu Mafuyu-sensei.”

They looked at each other.

“Only one person…If the criminal went over there, then…”

Hearing the location of the school, they started running. In the midst of that…

“East, huh…” Fumino muttered quietly.

***

“““Kirisu-sensei!”””

They arrived at the school, and stormed inside the staff office.

“W-What is going on!?”

The only person inside was a woman, Teacher Kirisu, who jumped in shock.

“Phew, seems like she’s fine…”

“Huff…haa…Thank….Urk…god…”

“Huff huff huff huff!”

Fumino and Nariyuki were wiping their sweat off their faces, as Rizu struggled to even say a word.

“Are you the detectives called here by Oomori-kun?” Teacher Kirisu gently narrowed her eyes.

It appears as if not only Asumi, but also Teacher Kirisu knew of the group staying here at the village.

“Are you telling me that the treasure is hidden here at this school?”

“No, not that…We’re having bigger problems than some treasure right now.” Nariyuki said, and explained the attack on Oomori.

“Consent…So that’s why you came here running?”

“Yes, I’m relieved to know that you are fine, Sensei. So…did something happen? The second line of the riddle brought us here…”

“No, not really…” Teacher Kirisu spoke up like that, but suddenly cut her words as if she remembered something. “That reminds me, there was one prank I didn’t really understand…”

“A prank?” Nariyuki asked.

“Yes. Though, I doubt it is related to the incident you told me about.”

“What happened?” Fumino now joined in as well.

“Unclear. They wrote random lines of numbers on the blackboard of an empty classroom…”

“Lines of numbers, is it.” Rizu finally got her breathing under control, and spoke up. “We cannot say for certain that this case is not related to the incident. Could we take a look at it, or do you have a picture by any chance?”

“I haven’t gotten around to erasing it yet, so have a look at it.”

Rizu seemed to be curious about this line of numbers, and went to get permission from Teacher Kirisu.

And then, the three arrived at the classroom, guided by Teacher Kirisu.

“Woah!?”

The second Nariyuki set foot inside, he let out a shocked groan.

The entire blackboard was filled with a seemingly endless stream of numbers.

“…I feel like I’m getting dizzy…” Fumino’s voice quivered in the face of this fearsome mathematical hell.

“…Hmm, I see.” Rizu observed the line of numbers with a serious gaze.

“Ogata, did you figure out something?”

“No, not at this stage.” She probably didn’t want to lean too far out of the window. “There is only one thing I can say.” Rizu looked up at the line of numbers. “‘Something’ happened here at this location the second line of the riddle pointed us to.”

“…But, this situation is pretty different from before with Oomori.”

“That being said, waiting here won’t do us any good.”

The three exchanged opinions.

“…Well, I guess.” Nariyuki nodded. “Then, we need to head to the third…”

Location—He was about to say, only to remember that another person was present.

“Um, Sensei, if possible, try not to walk around alone…We don’t know if something might happen here at this school…”

“Ah, as for that…”

Nariyuki didn’t want to force her by any means, but he was worried for her safety. However, it seemed as if she had an idea of her own.

“Nee-sama!”

With such beautiful timing, a voice could be heard coming from the outside. When Nariyuki and the others directed their gaze towards the window, they saw a woman who seemed to be a bit older than Nariyuki’s group. She had similar traits in appearance to Teacher Kirisu as well.

“Perfect timing. My little sister came back here to visit me.”

“Is that so, that’s good to hear then.” Nariyuki sighed in relief.

Kirisu-sensei seems like she got things under control, so things should be safe here…)

The second he thought that, Rizu and Fumino both turned around on their heel, and—

“!?”

“Gueh!?”

His collar was grabbed from behind, which led Nariyuki to let out the sound of a frog being squeezed.

“W-What are you doing…”

“A-Apology…”

When Nariyuki turned around, Teacher Kirisu ended up with one leg in the air, leaning against his shoulder. Judging from that…

“…Did you trip?”

“…I happened to misjudge the difference in height.” Teacher Kirisu blushed ever so slightly, and averted her eyes.

Is it really safe to leave her alone just like that…?

Nariyuki started to have doubts towards the very end.

***

That being said, clearing up this case would provide safety the fastest, so they left the school. The next destination they picked out was the shrine to the south.

“[Vermillion gate] probably refers to the shrine torii, and [tranquility] is most likely the image of the shrine. [Who sits there] is clearly a reference to the residing god.”

[Scorched by the horse’s heart of sun, passing the vermillion gate, who sits there in tranquility] was the third line, and that’s what Fumino gathered from that. Who greeted them was none other than…

“Oh? What brings you here, private detectives?” It was Uruka.

However, she didn’t wear a maid uniform, but a shrine maiden attire.

“Right back at you, Uruka-chan, why are you here…? Weren’t you a maid at the Oomori Family’s residence? Are you working part-time as a shrine maiden?”

“Ahaha, no no.” Uruka let out a snicker. “Both are my part-time work. I mean, the Oomori Family should have at least one maid, right. And I wanted to wear a maid uniform myself.” She spoke that far, and glanced at Nariyuki. “On top of that…”

“…?” Nariyuki tilted his head in confusion.

Is there something she wants to tell me…?

The light residing in her eyes confused Nariyuki.

Maybe it’s something she doesn’t want the other two to know…?

That’s the only possibility that he could arrive at. However, he had not a single clue as to what exactly that would be.

Maybe she holds proof that one of these two is the criminal?

He arrived at this conclusion for a second, but quickly ignored it. He had solved past cases together with these two, and he judged they were not the type of person to do such a thing.

That…means…She is declaring war against me, as the criminal?

Again, he discarded that possibility. They had just met yesterday, but even Nariyuki could tell that she wasn’t the type of person to do that.

“Nariyuki-san, did you figure something out?”

Nariyuki was thinking about another possibility, when Rizu called out to him.

“…No, nothing.” He thought of telling them about Uruka, but not with this small amount of information.

“Is that so, then let us go.”

“Eh? Where?” Nariyuki returned a confused question.

“Uruka-san told us about a mysterious paper hanging on the tree of the shrine, so we planned to check it out. Were you not listening?”

From the sounds of it, their conversation had moved forward without Nariyuki’s knowledge.

“A-Ah, sorry. I was thinking about something. Let’s go, then.” Nariyuki started walking on ahead.

“………”

At the same time, Uruka stayed silent, but had her gaze glued to Nariyuki. However, once they arrived at the tree in question, she finally looked away, and focussed on the paper ahead of them.

On the paper was another random code of numbers.

“The same here as at school…”

“No, it’s not the same. The content of the numbers is different.”

“…Really?”

Rizu said it was the most natural thing in the world, but Nariyuki was slightly confused.

“Also, Ogata, you remember the number code from before?”

“Can’t you tell instinctively?”

Naturally, Nariyuki had no idea. When he glanced over at Fumino, she was showing a wry smile as well. She held a great memory, but even this was beyond her ability.

“…Hm.”

Even during that, Rizu observed the line of numbers carefully. Her expression slowly changed into conviction.

“Can you figure out what these numbers mean?”

Rizu turned her gaze towards Nariyuki.

“I feel like I understand what it’s trying to say.”

“What…it’s trying to say…?” Nariyuki didn’t even understand what Rizu was trying to say.

“However, why would this be here…? Is this incident related to me in some way…?” Rizu put one hand on her chin, thinking. “…For now, let’s head to the next location. We might be able to figure out the meaning there.” She raised her head, and said these words.

Nariyuki and Fumino looked at each other, question marks above their heads. That being said, they had no objection.

“Got it, let’s go. Furuhashi, do you have an idea?”

“Um, the fourth line was…”

“E-Excuse me!” Uruka suddenly broke between the two. “Can I…come with you…?” She looked up at Nariyuki as she asked.

“That is something we should be asking you for.”

“Can’t leave you alone and in danger like that.”

Rizu and Fumino showed their consent.

“Right, Nariyuki-kun?” Receiving Fumino’s smile, Nariyuki couldn’t respond for a second. “…Nariyuki-kun?”

“Eh, ah, sorry, let’s do that.” Nariyuki shook his head, and responded to Fumino.

She was present for the first and third location, and is now trying to follow us for the fourth…?

With these thoughts, Nariyuki glanced at Uruka.

“……!”

As a result of that, their eyes met, and she averted her eyes in a panic.

Is this just a coincidence…? Or is it…

Doubts started to fill Nariyuki’s head.

***

“Hey, hey, Fuminocchi, are we really heading to the correct destination?”

On the way to the location hinted at in the fourth line, Uruka threw this question at Fumino. With her friendly personality, she got along with both Fumino and Rizu last night, and even has nicknames for them now.

“Do you think we’re off?”

“A-Ah, we…Not really…Just wondering, you know…”

However, as soon as Nariyuki talked to her, she showed a certain level of distance, and seemed oddly flustered.

“Hmmm…” Fumino showed a doubtful expression. “I do think that we’re right.” Her words were filled with confidence.

—[The chicken looks up at the burning sky, push over the perch and set it on fire, raise the smoke higher than the mountains]

Fumino already had arrived at a conclusion.

“[Push over the perch and set it on fire, raise the smoke higher than the mountains] probably refers to a factory, and there can only be one building to the West of this place, right?”

Uruka nodded.

“Yeah, although the factory had been closed down a long time ago. Also, why are you so sure about this being in the West? There are other factories, right?” Uruka tilted her head in confusion.

The twelve Zodiac signs reflect the directions. As a matter of fact, Oomori-kun collapsed into the direction of the Rat, to the North, to the East we found the school, pointed there thanks to the Rabbit, and to the South of the Horse was the shrine, so I can only assume that we’re going West now.”

“I see…” Uruka said, but she still didn’t seem overly satisfied. “But, you know…How do the nursery rhyme like that and a factory add up? In this day and age?”

“Ahaha…Well, these sorts of nursery rhymes often originate from recent days, you know.” Fumino didn’t seem too satisfied either.

“Furuhashi, are you caught up on something?”

“…Right.” Fumino flashed an exhausted smile. “How do I say this, the fourth line just doesn’t fit with the other ones…But, if I say that, then the entire riddle just sounds off…Even though it’s such an ominous text, I can feel kindness from the person who wrote it…Like it’s just meant as a tease?”

Nariyuki carefully listened to everything Fumino had to say, but he had no idea what she was on about. Just like Rizu and math, Fumino held a strong, inexplicable affinity towards literature and words like that. For Nariyuki, nothing made sense. That’s why he focussed ahead of him.

So that’s the factory, huh…

They had just arrived at the destination in question. The factory was built right in the front of the mountain, and you could see from the outside how this location had been deserted.

“…What’s that?” Nariyuki spotted something odd, and narrowed his eyebrows.

The factory had been left alone for quite some time, as rust built everywhere, and the signs of time had come into action. Only the front entrance seemed rather new with a desk, and a laptop on it. The door had been locked with an electronic device, connected to the laptop.

“Was this here before?”

“Eh!?” Uruka let out a shocked voice. “I-I don’t think it was!” She frantically waved her hands.

“I-I see.” Nariyuki was a bit bewildered at that, but nodded along. “So that means someone else got here before us.” He said, as his expression tightened up.

“That serious expression…”

Nariyuki felt like Uruka’s expression distorted in joy for a second, but decided to ignore it. They kept walking towards the desk, as the light on the laptop screen turned on at around the same time.

‘Welcome, my dear detectives!’

Reflected on the screen was a girl wearing a tuxedo and a black mantle. Since she wore a mask up her face, you couldn’t figure out the identity. This seemed to be some video transmission, as the lens on the screen was lit up.

‘Are you interested in my identity? How about you just call me Mister S?’ The girl showed a grin.

“Huh? Sawachin?”

‘Geh!? Takemoto Uruka!? Why are you here!? N-No! I am not Sekijou Sawako, but Mister S!’

“Ahaha, don’t be like that. Sawachin, ‘Mister’ is something you add to a man, you know?”

‘I know that, but ‘Mister’ sounds much cooler!’

“Really?” Uruka tilted her head in confusion.

‘Anyway…’ Mister S, Sawako, cleared her throat, and continued. ‘Well done on making it this far, my dear detectives!’

Apparently she could only restart from the very beginning.

“So, do you know this girl?”

“Hyawa!?” Uruka jumped in shock as Nariyuki whispered into her ear. “Y-Yeah…we’re classmates at school…” She said, blushing up to her ears.

‘However, can you make it through this door, and reach me!?’

At the same time, the Sawako inside screen was getting excited all on her own.

‘The numbers I’ve left behind at the various locations will be your hint to open up the door…’

“Ah, that.”

In the middle of Sawako’s sentence, Rizu walked in front of the laptop. With swift movement, he tapped the keyboard keys, when the door unlocked.

“Excuse me.”

“…Ah.”

Right inside was the very girl they had seen on the screen. Her mouth was wide open, as she stared at Rizu in disbelief.

“Y-Y-Y-Y-You did well coming here, Ogata Rizu! Looking at you up close, you’re even more cute!” She was flustered, blushing furiously. “N-Nevermind!” She tried to correct herself. “U-Um…what was it again…Ah, right, about the code…”

“There is one thing I would like to ask, Mister S.”

“Sekijou Sawako! Just call me Sawako, please!”

As Rizu took a step closer, Sawako screamed that out loud.

“Is that so. Then, Sawako-san.”

“Yes, what is it!?”

“About your password…Mind explaining why it’s ‘ogatarizu’?”

“Because I am your fan!” She said without any hesitation.

“…Fan? What does that machine have to do with me?” Rizu tilted her head.

“Not that! I am your fan, Ogata Rizu! I might be an existence way out of your league, but I always support you! But, you never came to this village, so I came up with the idea with a ‘letter of challenge’! That worked like a charm, and…”

“H-Hold on a second!” Nariyuki broke between the two. “The reason you attacked Oomori was for this stupid challenge?”

“Huh?” Sawako’s head tilted in confusion. “What was that about Oomori Kanade?”

“Didn’t you attack him last night?”

“Excuse me? Why would I do something like that?”

“Eh…? I mean…Maybe some grudge…?” Nariyuki was confused as to why he was suddenly asked that question, and fumbled over his words.

“There’s nothing like that. If anything, I’m thankful to him for calling Ogata Rizu here. So…is he fine?”

“Y-Yeah. They still need to do a medical check-up, but he seems to be in the green.”

“I see, glad to hear that.”

Sawako’s relieved expression didn’t look like acting to Nariyuki.

“Just to let you know, but that wasn’t me. I was sitting here all the time, waiting for Ogata Rizu to come by. Why would I be the suspect for that?”

“I mean, the location was part of the first line of the riddle, so…”

“Really…? But, what was Oomori Kanade even doing there, in the middle of the night?”

“Well, there’s nothing weird with being in his own room?”

“Eh?”

“……Eh?”

They both looked at each other in confusion.

“But, the location the first line should have hinted at was actually the village office?”

“Huh? Really?”

“…Hold on, did you never go there?”

“No?”

“Huuuh!?” Sawako’s expression was distorted in shock. “That’s not possible, right!? I mean, the secret key should have been found at that very location! You can’t solve the riddle without that!”

“W-What do you mean…?” Nariyuki was unable to comprehend what she was talking about.

“Listen…” Sawako sighed in disbelief. “This challenge I prepared for Ogata Rizu was RSA encryption. In today’s IT business, it’s a standard way of encrypting something.” She raised her index finger. “What I put on the tree at the shrine was the ‘formal key’…Using that, I wrote the ‘cryptogram’ on the blackboard at school. And, I wrote the ‘secret key’ on the billboard at the village office…”

“??” Nariyuki couldn’t follow what Sawako was talking about, as a mountain of question marks fell on his head.

Fumino’s head was fuming, and Uruka had fully given up, just staring into the void.

“This crypogram I’m talking about is like a treasure box. In order to open that, you need the ‘formal key’. However, you also need the ‘secret key’ at the same time, or it won’t open.”

“I see.” Nariyuki slowly grasped something.

“As for what I’m saying, without the secret key, you won’t be able to decipher the cryptogram…unable to open up the treasure box.”

“That expression is incorrect.” Rizu opened her mouth. “You can take out the ‘secret key’ from the ‘formal key’, which allows you to decipher the cryptogram.”

“I mean, logically that makes sense, but realistically that’s impossible! Even with a super computer, that would take years!” Sawako screamed.

“You say that, but I managed to do it.”

“H-How…?”

“Even if you ask me that…” Rizu started thinking for a second. “Intuition, I guess?”

However, the response was all too simple.

“T-That’s…” Sawako’s mouth opened and closed like a fish’s. “……That’s the Ogata Rizu I know!” She reached for the heavens, tears streaming from her eyes. “I thought that my challenge would hold you up for a bit longer, but that was foolish thinking! You really are an angel!”

“No, I am a human…” Rizu didn’t even bother reacting much.

Nariyuki watched this scenery, and thought to himself.

If she’s innocent, then who attacked Oomori…?

Nariyuki felt like they had reached a dead end.

No, there is one more thing I’m concerned about.

Right when he thought so.

“H-Hey…”

Someone pulled on the sleeve of his suit.

“Can you come with me…for a second, please?”

That was the one person Nariyuki was doubtful about.

“…Got it.” He nodded, and followed Uruka.

“Is here okay?”

They came to the backside of the factory, and when Nariyuki asked this, Uruka nodded. She had her face cast down, not allowing Nariyuki to guess her expression.

“You have something to talk with me about, right?”

She nodded again.

“Don’t tell me, are you…?”

The criminal who injured Oomori? He wanted to ask that. Yet again, Uruka nodded.

“Fu…fufu…” Her mouth suddenly opened.

She’s laughing…? Because I never caught on to her identity…?

At the same time as Nariyuki’s heart started to race, his body was filled with tension. Subconsciously, he took a step back. At the same time, Uruka’s face shot up.

Is this it…!?

Nariyuki readied himself…however.

“I’m your fan!”

Those were the words coming out of Uruka’s mouth, her face beet red.

“…Huh?” Unable to comprehend her words, a baffled voice left Nariyuki’s open mouth. “Eh, what? A fan…? Like the machine?”

“Rizurin already pulled that joke before! I’m your fan, Nariyuki! Ah, apologies for suddenly calling your name like that…! I always call you like that inside my heart, so…”

“I don’t really mind, so…”

“Really!? Then I’ll call you like that then!” Seeing Uruka’s expression change from dejection to pure joy, Nariyuki’s heart started racing for a different reason. “The thing is, I already wanted to talk to you yesterday, but I never found the right timing…I was just so nervous, you know! But, thanks to Sawachin confessing that she’s a fan of Rizurin, I found the courage to do that!”

“Fan…I’m not someone as amazing as Furuhashi or Ogata…They’re both doing all the work…”

“That’s exactly why you’re amazing!” Uruka pulled even closer. “It’s true that Fuminocchi and Rizurin are cool and clever! But, you’re clearing up cases just as much as they do. That’s definitely because of your hard work…and when I think that way, I can give it my best as well. You give me more strength than you might think!”

Hearing Uruka’s genuine words, a certain warmth filled Nariyuki’s chest. He didn’t do it to be accepted and praised by someone. Neither was he trying to show off his hard work. However, knowing that there was someone out there who respected himed to such a level…

That…is something I’m really happy about…

Nariyuki felt this way from the bottom of his heart.

“Thanks.” That’s why these words naturally came out of his mouth.

“No. I didn’t do anything! I need to be the one thanking you! I’m really happy that I got to meet you! I always admired you, so…Ah, not in a weird way though!? Ahaha, what am I even saying!”

“Ahaha…”

Because of Uruka growing more and more flustered, Nariyuki started to feel a bit embarrassed.

“……”

“…………”

They both averted their faces, trying to bear with this awkward silence.

“…Wait hold on!” Nariyuki regained his senses, and screamed. “So you weren’t the one who attacked Oomori either?”

“Wha? Why would I do that to Oomoricchi?”

“Alright, I get it…”

“But…knowing Oomoricchi, he might have just…” Uruka showed an expression like she found trouble talking.

However, before she could finish her sentence, Nariyuki’s phone vibrated.

“Sorry, I’m getting a phone call. Wait a second.” He politely informed Uruka, and accepted the call. “Yes, hello?”

‘Yo, Detective-san.’

He heard Asumi’s voice.

‘My patient has woken up, so I thought I’d inform you.’

“Really!? Thank you very much, we’ll head over there right away!” Nariyuki thanked Asumi, and cut the call. “Sorry, we’ll talk later!” He told Uruka, and informed Rizu and Fumino.

***

And, after they’ve arrived at the hospital room…

“““You fell over!?”””

In the face of the ‘truth’ they received, they each screamed at the top of their lungs.

“Yeah, hehe. I just slipped, and hit my head.” Oomori showed an embarrassed laugh, searching the back of his bandaged head.

“Well, I figured that this is what happened. There was no wound of you getting hit in the head.” Asumi shrugged her shoulders.

“Ahahaha, I actually thought that might be the case. Oomoricchi can be pretty clumsy, so I didn’t think there was any criminal to begin with.” Uruka showed a wry smile.

This is probably what she was trying to say before.

“Eh, so the recreation of the first line of the riddle…?”

“Hm? What are you talking about?” Oomori tilted his head at Nariyuki’s question. “You held the paper with the riddle, right!?”

“Ah…I wanted to get one last look at it, you know?”

“…Seriously…” Nariyuki felt the strength vanish from his knees.

“I kind of feel bad about this. Because of my challenge, this whole misunderstanding came into action.” Sawako, who carefully followed Rizu along, gave an apologetic comment.

“No, eventually we would have reached the location you pointed us to.”

“R-Right! That’s Ogata Rizu for you!”

Thanks to Rizu’s follow-up, Sawako’s expression lit up.

“In the end, we didn’t figure out the solution to the riddle…”

“We were just running around the village…”

At the same time, Nariyuki and Rizu were more than dejected.

“Ahh, really? I see…maybe it was just your average rumour, and nothing more…” Oomori-said, and showed a smile right after. “Well, I’ll try to handle the rest then. There must be a way to attract more tourists. I know what’s good about this village after all!”

“Right…” Nariyuki regretted not being able to be of help.

“…What’s good about this village…Running around the village…?” Fumino seemed to be thinking about something, and then looked over at Sawako. “Hey, Sawako-chan. You said that the first line of the riddle pointed at the village office, right? Why did you think that way, and where is that located anyway?”

“Hm? Next to the office is a river. Once summer comes around, it’ll be full of fireflies. The dark water, with dancing light…that’s what the first line talks about. As for the location, it’s in the North.”

“Yeah, it’s a thrilling sight!” Oomori nodded.

“Oomori-kun!”

“Y-Yeah?”

Fumino turned towards him.

“Tell me about something you like!”

“Eh?” Oomori was left confused, and thought about it for a second. “I-I mean, your hair is long and beautiful, you smell really nice, I’m totally fine with your mediocre chest, and…”

“…?” Fumino gently tilted her head in confusion, as Oomori suddenly started counting his fingers. “Wait, are you counting what you like about me!? And I didn’t need to hear the comment about my chest!” Fumino howled. “That’s not what I meant. I wanted to hear about your favorite places here at this village!”

“A-Ah, that’s what you meant…” Oomori scratched his cheeks, slightly embarrassed. “Well, the windows at the school sparkle so beautifully every morning, and the shrine is the perfect place to take a nap in the afternoon. Of course, the fireflies look great at night.”

“What about the factory?”

“Eh…? Well, I always played around there. That was our first factory we had in this village, which had me super excited.”

“…Thank you.” Fumino thanked Oomori and closed her eyes. “If so, then our deduction thus far wasn’t exactly off…Ah, wait a second!?” Her eyes suddenly shot open, as she took out a piece of paper.

[Past that]

[In the rat’s right eye is a star, in it’s left eye reflected black water, as well as faint dancing light]

[The rabbit turns its back to the peeking gold, a hundred buildings in front, swallowing the infants]

[Scorched by the horse’s heart of sun, passing the vermillion gate, who sits there in tranquility]

[The chicken looks up at the burning sky, push over the perch and set it on fire, raise the smoke higher than the mountains]

It was the riddle, the nursery rhyme that they had followed.

“The one star probably refers to the North Star, the peeking gold probably indicates the morning, and the burning sky is the night…I thought the animals were just there as the indicators for the twelve Zodiac signs, showing the time in the sky, but…Maybe they’re also related to direction after all…? The North Star to the right, the morning at one’s back, receiving the sun at noon, and facing it at evening…[Past that]…” Fumino muttered to herself, only to look at Oomori. “I got it, Oomori-kun. I know that last location the maker of this nursery rhyme hinted at.” Her expression was overflowing with confidence.

***

“Wahhh!”

In front of a certain scenery, everyone’s voices overlapped. They found themselves at one corner of the mountain. In the midst of a sea of forests, there was a small open space. From there, you could see Ichinose Village in its entirety. From their elevated location, it looked like they had a miniature village in front of their eyes.

“What a view!” Uruka let out a celebrative voice.

“I had no idea we had a place like this.” Sawako’s reaction was a bit more calm, but equally surprised.

“Guess our village isn’t just some half-assed tourist bait.” Asumi shrugged her shoulders.

“Waaaaah, so beautiful!” Oomori took picture upon picture.

“How did you even find this place, Furuhashi?” Nariyuki wholeheartedly agreed with everyone else’s feelings, but was a bit confused.

The North Star (North) to the right, the morning sun (South) to the left, and the evening sun at bare face. Basically, the animals were facing the four cardinal points—and [Past that]. Basically, the location behind the abandoned factory. At first, they were a bit dubious, but these doubts had been cleared up after they actually went there.

“That’s about it.” Fumino raised her index finger as she explained. “That’s why I felt like it was more like a child’s teasing prank than some nursery rhyme or riddle…”

“Haha, as expected.” Naturally, Nariyuki still had no idea what she was talking about.

This kind of sense was probably thanks to her experience and talent.

“This must be the secret place of the person who created that nursery rhyme. They didn’t want to tell anybody, but kept it written down for the future. Have the person who read this run around the village, and come to like it as much as they did. The prize was this view…don’t you think?” Fumino’s expression seemed relieved, as she delivered her explanation.

“I see, I see.” Nariyuki ended up smiling himself. “But…it’s a shame that there’s no treasure, Oomori.”

“No, that ain’t true.” He shook his head. “I found yet another face of this village, and now I like it even more. I really want to make this place more popular, and attract more tourists! I’m sure the person who created this nursery rhyme feels the same way!”

Behind Oomori, Uruka and Sawako, even Asumi looked at each other.

“I really like this village as well, so I’ll help you, Oomoricchi!”

“Since Ogata Rizu came here to this village, it’s value went up ten-fold!”

“Well, if we get more people here, then there’ll be more patients for our place, so I’ll take it”

They each had their own motivation.

I feel like this conclusion is different from what I expected…but it’s not that bad, I guess.

With these thoughts, Nariyuki joined the others in enjoying the scenery, as Rizu and Fumino nodded along.

***

A bit of time passed after that.

“Yo, we met again.”

“Nariyuki-kun, Ricchan, been a while~”

“Ever since the incident at Ichinose Village, right.”

Because of a certain request, the three met again.

“Oh right, talking about Ichinose Village. Did you see that?”

“Of course!”

“I was a bit surprised.”

Fumino and Rizu nodded.

“I read it on the way here…See.” Nariyuki rummaged through his bag, and took out what he was looking for.

It was a certain travel magazine, sent to him by Oomori.

‘Instant popularity over Insta! Today’s hot topic is the newest tourist spot!’

It was an article about Ichinose Village. Oomori uploaded those images on Insta, which went viral shortly after, and attracted all sorts of people, which changed the village into a tourist spot.

“Personally, I like the image in the article the most.”

“Ah, same here.”

“Agreed.”

Shown in the picture were Oomori, Uruka, Sawako, Asumi, Teacher Kirisu, and the other faces from Ichinose Village. They smiled, grinned, shed tears of happiness…truly emphasizing what Ichinose Village is about. The three looked at that picture, and smiled themselves.