When the Detective Work is Done, I'll Die

Chapter 95

Chapter 95

Detective Chikage, perfectly adapted to her panda kigurumi. No— the big panda came running this way.

For now, I decided to wait until we were in the car before looking at my smartphone, and I sat down in the back seat. I was about to move deeper inside, but someone was already there.

As I tried to squeeze in, I almost bumped into a girl in a sailor uniform. Before she could make a face, I quickly pressed my palms together in apology.

"S-sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going...!"

"Ah, don't worry about it."

Then she flipped her braids and sent a voice overflowing with kindness my way. The voice was so cute it made my heart flutter a little, but when she saw Detective Chikage in her panda suit climbing in, she covered her mouth with both hands and burst out laughing. By doing so she managed to disguise her emotions.

The laughed-at Detective Chikage had a vein popping on her forehead.

"Hey... why do you laugh the instant you see me? You don't have to laugh, okay?"

Then, instead of me, the braided girl in the back seat started laughing even harder.

"Ah-haha! The kigurumi's mad! What is this!? So funny! Ahahaha!"

She kept slapping her own knees and making a racket, so Detective Chikage forgot her anger and was simply dumbfounded.

After a while, when Karma-san had taken the driver's seat and called out, "Let's get going soon—!" she finally calmed down. One hand pressed to her stomach, she was catching her breath, while with the other she wiped away the tears of laughter on her face.

Detective Chikage muttered, looking bewildered.

"Hey... you laughed way too much."

At those words the braided girl finally responded, and began introducing herself. A little of the tears and spit on her forehead flew toward me... but still.

"Um, first I have to give you two a nickname, right! I—I'm called Kotoha with the 'ha' from 'feather.'"

Then we answered in turn.

"I'm Torakawa Hyoga."

"I'm Eniwa Chikage, actually—"

Before Detective Chikage could continue, Kotoha-san rested her hands on my knees and leaned in. She focused on me, pointing to herself to emphasize her existence, leaving Detective Chikage outside the mosquito net.

What did Kotoha-san find attractive about me? She hardly gave me time to wonder before she started talking.

"Um! I might be wrong, but—isn't the super-famous mystery & romance writer Professor Torakawa your relative...?"

My heart jumped. I hadn't expected my mother's name to come up here, so I was really surprised.

Realizing how it was, I nodded and told her what I could and couldn't do.

"She's my mother... but we're pretty distant, so autographs and stuff are impossible."

"Whaa... too bad. But, well, okay. I'm a technical-college student who wants to be an author. Do you know Harumi Art College?"

An unfamiliar name came up and I was confused. I looked at Detective Chikage and she had already started searching for information on her smartphone.

But that seemed pointless.

Karma-san, who was driving, told us about the college.

"That art college nurtures a lot of promising talent—authors, illustrators, models, idols, and more. Even the famous star coming today is an alum."

Hiding her face behind her smartphone, Detective Chikage seized the moment to ask a question.

"Wait, then this aspiring-author girl is also... famous?"

Come to think of it, yeah. Aside from staff like Karma-san, all the women at the harem event were well-known talents.

A top editor for the professor, and probably idols and models would join up at the mountain villa too.

So then, this girl is...?

Karma-san answered our doubts.

"There's a high chance she'll be famous in the future. Not only is she beautiful, her talent is bottomless. We asked her to attend as the student representative to liven up the event. She's... one year older than Hyo-chan, right?"

"Yes. Normally I'd be... a second-year high-schooler, I guess. This sailor uniform feels fresh. I usually go to school in casual clothes."

So there was one high-school-aged girl besides me.

I'd felt a little uneasy about spending time with unknown women a bit older than me, but that worry was resolved now.

Feeling relieved, I opened my mouth. This time with a question for Kotoha-san.

"Um, Kotoha-san, have you ever met Professor Komaki?"

"We've crossed paths in lectures a few times. As a lecturer she's... got a very unique style, but her skill is amazing... I've talked to her a number of times."

While she was saying that, Detective Chikage pushed my face aside and started talking to Kotoha-san.

"Heh... by the way, what kind of novels do you write?"

"Mystery novels, a little."

"Oh... does your mystery have a detective in it?"

"Of course it does."

"Hee..."

Was Detective Chikage thinking about how much I hate detectives, or did she think she was a better detective than the one in the novel?

"Um... Chikage-san, was it...? Do you have some complaint with me?"

Because she responded in a tone that could grate on some people, Kotoha-san directed hostility at Detective Chikage.

"Not at all..."

I was caught between the panda and the sailor uniform. Someone please switch seats with me—

She was about to escape, but Kotoha-san burst out laughing midway. Apparently Detective Chikage's puffed-up face had triggered her.

Detective Chikage seemed to cheer up too, and within minutes the two were chatting with smiling faces. Were they on bad terms, or good? I stopped thinking since no matter how much I wondered, I couldn't tell.

I leaned forward a little and tried talking to Karma-san.

"From that tense mood to being best friends... I really don't understand people..."

"Same here. To think those two would hit it off on first meeting... or maybe the girl you brought... is your girlfriend?"

"She's not."

"Ah... well, maybe the girl you brought has a special talent for getting people to like her."

"Does such a thing exist...?"

"Maybe you like her more than you realize...?"

I didn't want to say I liked the detective. I didn't even want to think about it. To avoid it, I tried changing the subject and looked around for a hint. At the same time, a terrible sense of unease hit me.

The passenger seat next to the driver was empty.

There were four of us here. Hadn't we said two cars of five people each were heading to the villa?

Fearfully, I voiced what no one else seemed to notice.

"Um... Karma-san, did we leave someone behind...?"