Not a detective

Page 98

Asakawa Riku's hand trembled slightly.

He was taken down by a combo attack from the dragon in front of him, and before he could even drink his medicine, the cat cart carried him back to the camp.

With his reaction speed and finger control, although his skills and attention to detail may not match those of professional players, his operational ability is at least adequate.

To make such a serious mistake can only be described as...

“心乱了吧？”浩吉一副欠揍的表情：“让你天天和学姐秀恩爱……终于走到了失恋的这一步啊，我会好好安慰你的。”

Asakawa Riku kicked him away, though not with much force, of course:

"...Actually, we weren't dating at all, but is it really that obvious?"

He sighed, not expecting that even his friend would bring up this matter after Yukie had pressed him for an answer.

"Nonsense! Last year, you went straight to the mystery club after school every day, rain or shine, with perfect attendance all year round. Even I, your best friend, couldn't get you to come. This semester, you suddenly have free time. You go straight home after school every day, doing nothing, and even have time to play games. What else could this be but a breakup? Did you quit that mystery club?"

Haoji was very proud of his reasoning.

"I haven't submitted a resignation application yet."

Asakawa Riku had a complicated expression on his face.

In fact, he is still a member of the mystery club in name only, but he has not participated in club activities since the beginning of this semester.

Ever since that "showdown" that winter, his relationship with Chizuko-senpai has become awkward.

When the two happen to meet at school, they will silently look away, not saying a word, and pass by as if they have become strangers.

But they weren't quite strangers. Strangely enough, every day at noon, Asakawa Riku would still go to the mystery club's activity room, where his senior, Chizuko, would wait for him. She would then take out two bento boxes, and after Asakawa Riku finished eating one of them, he would thank her. Then Chizuko would take it back, and the process would repeat the next day. This was the only thing that remained unchanged from before.

Perhaps Asakawa Riku is too shameless, as he still insists on eating and drinking for free.

They only talk in the mystery club, but the topics they discuss are nothing more than daily life at school and Yukie's home life.

They deliberately avoided all elements related to "reasoning," and would tacitly remain silent and change the subject whenever there was any content related to cases, superpowers, or paranormal events.

It was as if they had reached some kind of consensus: reasoning was a topic that couldn't be brought up, because reasoning would only worsen their relationship.

As a result, the mystery club lost its original form, and club activities became unnecessary. Consequently, Asakawa Riku simply went home by himself after school.

Chizuko-senpai also said, "I'm going to start preparing for the university entrance exam too."

Seeing her serious expression, Asakawa Riku realized that her senior was already a senior in high school, and she would graduate in another year.

So after school, Chizuko would go home and begin a year-long preparation for her exams.

The two parted ways.

...

"You two, this is just a normal young couple having a tiff."

After hearing this, Haoji showed a look of "great disappointment" and spoke in a tone of "I'm so done with this".

Asakawa Riku, of course, didn't tell him the whole story, nor did he mention the matter of the Sake Tenkan and the Ryugu Palace. He simply talked about the awkward relationship between the two of them recently.

However, he also expressed dissatisfaction with this conclusion:

"This is a very serious topic... I'm really troubled by it too, you know."

"I'm serious, all arguments between couples that don't intend to break up are just a way of showing affection."

With a disdainful expression, Haoji waved his fist and said, "A-Lu, if I could beat you, I would have killed you all, buried one on Mount Fuji, and sunk the other into Tokyo Bay."

"Then you may never have the chance in your entire life."

Asakawa Riku was amused by him.

Although this guy was basically just spouting nonsense, for some reason, listening to his words made Asakawa Riku feel that some of his inner knots had been untied.

My current relationship with Chizuko-senpai is perhaps like that of two wolves eyeing each other.

They want to get close to each other, but are afraid of hurting each other, so they dare not expose their necks or their fangs.

Chizuko harbors a demon within her. Without proper restraint, she might commit the same horrific act of revenge as in the Ryugu Palace. Asakawa Riku's original intention was to restrain this dangerous little devil, but for some reason, he ultimately chose to protect and cover for her. Even he himself was afraid of the choice he made.

Chizuko may have sensed this fear deep down. She realized she might have made a mistake, but she was unwilling to admit it, so she remained awkwardly frozen in place.

The balance between them was maintained at a subtle distance.

If one blindly gets close, one might fall into her trap. If Asakawa Riku indulges himself and becomes her accomplice, the two of them will instantly become the most terrible sinners.

If Chizuko completely obeys Asakawa Riku's rules, she will lose herself. She is not a good girl like Yukie and would not listen to any teachings.

So, perhaps, as the saying goes, they "need to calm each other down" and think about the future.

He felt that this wouldn't take too long and wouldn't end in tragedy, as he had just promised Yuki.

Riku Asakawa still remembers the bitterness of the chocolate.

"Looks like you've figured it out. You don't need my guidance, you love guru."

Haoji nodded in satisfaction: "Okay! It's decided! I'm going to pursue my own happiness too. Once I make it to Koshien, I'm sure some pretty upperclassmen will fall for me!"

He made a swinging motion as if to strike.

"Then no one will play games with me. How about I go cheer for the team you're facing next time?"

Asakawa Riku laughed heartily. Although he wasn't used to thanking his brother, he was still very grateful.

Haoji probably noticed something was wrong with him, which is why he came here today to comfort him.

"It's okay, Lu, just don't go on the field to fight us. Here's what you do: go and distract the opposing team's cheerleaders, then no one will be cheering for the enemy."

The two joked with each other and continued playing the game for more than an hour. In the end, Asakawa Riku asked him to have dinner and personally took him to the station.

Watching the receding figure, Asakawa Riku felt a little lonely, but then something suddenly occurred to him, and his eyes lit up.

...Oh right, although Yukie doesn't like playing, she has another gaming companion.

...Alright, we can get rid of Haoji now.

Spring of Events: The Fourth Octopus Can Also Fly in the Sky

I know that fish can also fly in the sky.

In the blue light above my head, many fish swam. Some spread their fins like hang gliders, some swayed in the rising bubbles, some watched me intently, and others hid in the shadows of the rocks. I grabbed the handrail, stood on tiptoe, and pressed my face close to the glass. It felt incredible. Although each fish's movement seemed random, together they looked like they were performing a group dance. Like the Anpanman gymnastics routine I used to do at the sports meet.

Grandpa Shinohara said in the car, "Although this aquarium isn't very big."

But that's a lie. The aquarium is quite large and must have cost a lot of money, and there are never any other guests.

He wasn't my grandfather, but our family's housekeeper.

"Miss, how is it? Isn't it beautiful?"

"Incredible."

"That's incredible?"

"Because there are all kinds of fish."

"Oh, it looks amazing, doesn't it? Miss, what kind of creature do you like?"

This is a very difficult question. Hmm. I hesitated for a moment, then pointed to a somewhat transparent, shrimp-like creature crawling on the seabed.

"Mantis shrimp. Why?"

"Because its fists are powerful and cool."

"Oh, so you know that mantis shrimps have powerful fists. Did you see that in the encyclopedia?"

"I don't know. But because its hand is tucked into a small fist, it looks like the hand that flicks your forehead, right? It hurts terribly when you get hit. A few days ago, my fourteenth sister hit me, and it hurt a lot."

Grandpa blinked, but he could only pretend he hadn't heard the second half of the sentence.

He put his glasses back on and pointed to the school of fish overhead.

"What do you think of that fish? Its upper body is blue, and its lower body is white. Why do you think that is?"

"Because the seawater is blue, right? It might not be easy for birds to spot. Otherwise, such a small fish would be eaten by birds. Its lower body is white, probably because it's as bright as the sun. This makes it harder for other fish to spot. The top is to protect it from birds, and the bottom is to protect it from fish."

"And that one?" Grandpa pointed to the poster on the wall. "That's a deep-sea fish. It looks like it's hanging with a lamp. Why do you think that is?"

"Deep-sea fish? Fish that live in the deep sea. Maybe it's because the deep sea is very dark, so they need to shine to attract food?"

I'm starting to get a little annoyed. I'd rather see real fish than a poster.

For some reason, Grandpa looked at me and the fish tank with a happy expression.

"If Miss were a fish, people would probably be too scared to get close."

"Hey, why?"

“Every living thing has its own special skills and ecology that it has evolved to survive in harsh natural environments, called survival strategies. And you, Miss, are so young, yet you can see through it at a glance. That’s a very impressive talent. But it might also be a threat to the fish. They will be afraid of you and will bully you.”

"I can get along with them amicably."

"Haha, yeah, I'm so sorry. Let's go to Building B, I heard there are jellyfish there..."

...

This is a memory from when I was in the middle or upper grades of kindergarten. I remember it very clearly, and I haven't even forgotten the number of the eco-box.

As it turns out, fish don't fly, and what I learned that day was wrong, but something else I learned from the butler took deep root in my heart.

Survival strategies. Specialized skills and ecological adaptations developed to survive in harsh natural environments. The kangaroo's pouch, the giraffe's neck, the whale's teeth—almost all animal characteristics are based on these strategies. My approach to reading and watching television changed. I began consciously focusing on things I had previously perceived unconsciously, but this soon became habitual and re-entered my subconscious.

The longer I stay at the Toono family's house, the more I learn.

These strategies apply not only to fish and animals, but also to humans.

The ninth brother's strategy was to gather intelligence so that he could communicate with everyone.

The twelfth sister's strategy was to demonstrate her strength through talent and boasting.

The fifteenth sister's strategy was to create a group of wealthy girls like herself.

The eighteenth brother's strategy was to always keep himself inconspicuous.

Everyone has their own strategy, but there is only one thing in common in this family: "don't make enemies" and "avoid trouble".

Classrooms, cities, parks—everything in this world is part of a harsh natural environment, and everyone is using their brains to try to live.

The butler, Shinohara Tomoya, constantly uttered the word "loyalty," and I initially thought his strategy was to win the old man's favor and become his unwavering loyal dog. However, I later discovered he was secretly running a vast shady business, so the reality was quite the opposite. His constant mention of "loyalty" was a ploy to attract the attention of other intelligent people.

I've learned something new: adults' strategies are sophisticated.

And I was able to see through it every time, which brought me one step closer to becoming an adult.

...Okay, even though I'm making it sound like I'm some kind of expert, believe me, I'm not pretending to be an aquarium observer.

I'm just a small fish, but of course, I have my own strategies.

In short, it was all nonsense and feigned madness. When playing with them, conversations were always difficult to coordinate, and they increasingly looked puzzled—I chose to be seen as an oddball from the start, so I became the "detective," so I solved everything, so I made frequent mistakes, and so I started to lose interest.

While it didn't gain any allies, it also didn't increase any enemies; while it wasn't very interesting, it wasn't very boring either.

Like salamanders, shrimps, and moths, I pursue a subtle and marginalized position.

Do you know what a newt is? Yes. What's the difference between a newt and a gecko? No. What's the difference between a shrimp and a crayfish? No.

Do you know Shinonome Sugetsuki? I do, but I don't know her very well.

The aquarium gradually grew larger.

The older siblings around me became more strategic, and they, along with their more senior siblings, became one of the same types, busy forming cliques and ranking positions. At every family dinner, the clinking of knives and forks was accompanied by probing glances flying back and forth, searching for potential threats, enemies, or loners mixed in with the group.

I loathed this kind of life until I met the fish that flew in the sky.

"Miss, do you like boats?"

"A boat? I like that. Why do you ask?"

"I always ask my friends this question first; it's a rule of mine."

"It's quite unique. Asking 'Do you like the sea?' is understandable, but..."

"Everyone loves the sea, right? Ships allow people to travel on the ocean, overcome barriers and distances that were previously impossible, and see scenery that was previously impossible to see. So generally speaking, ships should be very popular. But everyone says they hate them, perhaps because many people get seasick, or they find sailing too boring. I think that's pathetic."

Did you just say 'friend'?

"You misheard me, it was maid and master. You said you like boats, right?"

"Friends are fine too. Because it can become a new home."