COTE :  Oh No, I've Become the Substitute

"Come to think of it, what were we going to the library for again?"

Inside the room, Fuyuji Mikage sucked noisily at the empty milk carton, making it whistle and squeak. Then, in one breath, he inflated it back up and tossed it into the trash can with a thud.

Morishita Ai, who ate a little more slowly, paused with food still in her mouth. She turned away in exasperation, refusing to engage with this guy who had completely forgotten their agreement.

"The special exam," Yamamura Miki raised a finger and reminded him.

"Ah, right." Fuyuji smacked a fist into his palm.

A few days ago, Katsuragi Kohei had already confirmed through point expenditure that the topic of this special exam was likely a deserted island.

However, having grown far too accustomed to being a hands-off boss, Fuyuji had promptly forgotten all about it the moment he handed the preparatory tasks over to Katsuragi.

"So, are we still going? If it's about books on deserted island survival, building shelters, and that sort of thing, Katsuragi has probably already found them."

Fuyuji glanced at the clock on the wall, its hands already pointing past nine.

"Of course we're still going!"

Morishita shook her head, putting on an expression that said, "You really don't get it, do you?" "Is that what's important about a deserted island? Exploration! Adventure! That is the ultimate purpose of our deserted island exam this time."

"Fine, fine."

Nearing ten o'clock, after the three of them had finished breakfast, they finally returned to their original objective—the school library.

The library was as sparsely populated as ever. As Fuyuji ascended the steps and looked down from above, only a scattered handful of people were quietly enjoying the tranquil atmosphere of this place.

And among them, a quiet young girl with silver hair, like a classical beauty resting within an ink-wash painting, stood out especially.

By a window seat, like a feather that the wind had incidentally left upon the window frame, her slender, pale fingertips hovered above the pages of her book, gently brushing the surface of the paper.

Shiina Hiyori tilted her head ever so slightly. A few strands of silver hair slipped from behind her ear. Beneath her occasionally fluttering eyelashes, faint blue veins were faintly visible beneath her porcelain-white skin, like stars half-veiled by thin clouds. It made one loath to disturb her.

A girl like this... perhaps I shouldn't intrude upon her peaceful time...

After quietly watching for a short while, Fuyuji felt as though his very soul had been purified. Wearing a satisfied smile, he gently shifted his steps, intending to leave this quiet realm of hers.

But unexpectedly, the quiet girl seemed to have sensed his gaze. Tilting her head, she looked over in his direction.

After a brief moment of stunned stillness,

a radiant light abruptly blossomed within Shiina's eyes. Clutching her book to her chest, she came scampering over in her small leather shoes with a pitter-patter of footsteps.

This girl...

Fuyuji let out a helpless laugh. He likewise walked toward Shiina and was just about to open his mouth to greet her, when Shiina, eyes sparkling brightly, took the initiative and spoke first.

"Fuyuji-kun! It's been so long! Just now, I was just thinking to myself how wonderful it would be if I could run into you again soon."

"It probably hasn't been that long. Didn't we just see each other on Wednesday?"

"Is that so?" Shiina hugged her book and thought hard about it. "But I still feel like it's been a very long time."

"Maybe it's because too many things have happened recently."

"Ah, that's right."

Shiina seemed to suddenly recall something and asked with eager anticipation. "Last time—last time Fuyuji-kun borrowed 'The Seventh Hypothesis.' Have you finished reading it?"

"Actually, I'm only about halfway through..." In truth, he had only read about a third. Fuyuji scratched the back of his head.

"Since we've finally met again, let's exchange our thoughts on what we've read." Shiina stepped forward, drawing closer to Fuyuji.

This tone, brimming with such intense expectation...

Fuyuji subconsciously glanced at the clock on the wall.

Although there was still some time before their designated meeting time, he had a distinct feeling that this girl's enthusiasm wasn't something that could be dispersed in just a short while.

"Fuyuji-kun... doesn't have the time?"

As if sensing Fuyuji's intention to retreat, Shiina looked up at him. Her sparkling, luminous eyes seemed as if, in the very next second, they would dim and fade.

Yabai...

This girl is seriously yabai...

Fuyuji felt an irrefutable, irresistible pressure bearing down on him.

What was this premonition—that if he refused, this girl's floating, airy voice would instantly turn crestfallen, and that heart-soothing scene from just moments ago would vanish into thin air?

"Then... only for a little while, okay? I might have to leave by noon." Fuyuji surrendered at the speed of light before Shiina's cuteness.

"That's wonderful!"

A radiant smile returned to Shiina's face. "Well then... shall we go sit over there for a bit?" Shiina pointed toward one of the desks by the window.

...

"So, what do you think? 'The Seventh Hypothesis.'"

Shiina set her book down on the tabletop. Her small hands rested on her soft thighs, wrapped in grey thigh-high socks. Her eyes carried an ineffable spark of anticipation.

Fuyuji broke out in a cold sweat of shame. In truth, he had read exactly up to the point where the entire case had just finished being explained and the first six hypotheses had just been presented. He probably hadn't even gathered all the clues yet.

"I have absolutely no clue. How exactly he vanished from the landlord's house and then appeared in the trash can—I have no idea either. At first, I thought, could he have taken advantage of the darkness and disguised himself as one of the plague doctors, then blended in with them as they left, only to be killed? But that doesn't explain what happened to the one whose clothes were taken off."

"As for the trash can—all you'd need to do is, when the constable went to check the third one, swap it with another. But that seems far too simple."

Fuyuji didn't believe the author would set such a simple problem to challenge the readers. This was precisely the charm of orthodox mystery novels—the reader competes with the detective in the story to solve the puzzle, to see who can uncover the truth first. The sense of accomplishment in the very instant one solves the riddle oneself is something that makes the reader utterly addicted.

"If you keep reading, this particular hypothesis might be something Fuyuji-kun would never have imagined." Shiina wagged her finger and spoke with a smile.

"Then I shall continue reading with great anticipation. What about Shiina? What have you been reading lately?" Fuyuji, who had been struggling to hold his ground this entire time, attempted to change the subject.

"This one."

Shiina flipped the book in front of her around and pushed it across the table toward Fuyuji.

"The Valley of Fear."

"Holmes, huh? This case truly is a classic among classics." Fuyuji praised.

From this case onward, detective fiction began to evolve from a mode steeped in didacticism and classical literary style toward pure functionality. Ciphers, tricks, deception, and other such elements all began to emerge, one after another. Viewed from this angle, it was already no different from the detective fiction of today.

"The first time I saw it was on my father's bookshelf. When I finally reached the truth, I was absolutely taken aback." A nostalgic smile surfaced on Shiina's face.

"I was different. I figured out the truth about halfway through." Fuyuji was brimming with grievance. His fist clenched tight as he spoke in a stifled, frustrated tone. "Because I'd seen a similar case in Detective Conan. I was outright spoiled."

"But still, Douglas was truly quite remarkable, to be able to come up with such a method in so short a time." Fuyuji shifted gears and expressed admiration for the suspect within the story.

"What a pity. In the end, he was still killed by Professor Moriarty." Shiina also felt a touch of melancholy.

"After all, it's Professor Moriarty—the existence hailed as the greatest intellectual mind in all of Europe."

"Ah, that's right."

Shiina seemed to recall something and spoke as if sharing a fascinating piece of trivia. "Speaking of Moriarty... there really might be someone like that. Right here, at our school."

"How can that be? That's Moriarty we're talking about. There's no way someone like that could be at this school, right?"

"Mm... This may simply be my own way of describing it. But a student of that nature probably does exist here, you know."

Gazing intently at Fuyuji, Shiina's expression grew earnest. Her voice took on an ethereal, drifting quality. "Like a spider lurking at the very center of its web. The web has thousands upon thousands of threads, and he understands the tremors of every single one of them with perfect clarity." This was the appraisal of Moriarty given by the world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes.

"Then I'd quite like to meet—"

Fuyuji seemed to recall something. The joking smile on his face gradually faded. Probingly, he asked.

"Shiina... this 'Moriarty'—where did you hear about him?"

"It was from Ryuen-kun in our class."

A troubled expression surfaced on Shiina's face. It seemed she felt some sympathy for Ryuen Kakeru's plight.

"He said that there is such a person. From the very beginning of the school year, he has stood at the very apex, mercilessly looking down upon all the students. From some hidden place within the Advanced Nurturing High School, he silently spies upon everything. His presence extends through the darkness, invisibly manipulating everyone. The majority of the incidents that have occurred among the first-years so far bear the traces of his behind-the-scenes, covert manipulation."

The corner of Fuyuji's mouth twitched violently. This description...

Ryuen-boy... aren't you being a little too chuuni about this?

So I screwed you over twice. And both times, you were the one who struck first before I retaliated. Is there really any need to slander me like this?

I am the very incarnation of light! An ally of justice!

"In truth, I also maintain a skeptical attitude toward this. But Ryuen-kun from our class insists, with unwavering certainty, that he absolutely exists. And the reason our Class C has been reduced to its current sorry state is entirely due to his handiwork."

The results of Class C's disciplinary measures had come out over the past couple of days. The charge: falsely accusing a fellow student. However, due to having obtained forgiveness, only the minimum deduction of 150 class points was applied.

As for what kind of deal Class C had struck with the other two classes, Fuyuji was also still unclear for the moment.

Class D was probably something involving points...

As for Class B... he'd go ask Ichinose about it later.

But still... Shiina-san.

Fuyuji stole a furtive glance at Shiina, who was holding her book and looking somewhat adorably dazed.

This was purely because your class's Ryuen simply refused to act like a decent human being. If only he would do even a single decent, human thing, he would never have ended up crashing headlong into me.

Look at Ichinose's Class B. Even though they're the ones closest to us Class A in terms of points, aren't they living harmoniously and happily every day just the same?

If he doesn't come bothering me, I can't be bothered to make a move against him.

Fuyuji silently refuted in the depths of his heart.

"Regarding the two incidents that Ryuen-kun encountered, I also feel they were far too coincidental."

As Shiina spoke, she took out her own mobile phone and handed it to Fuyuji. Her curious tone carried a trace of excitement.

Written on it was Ryuen's detailed personal account of his two encounters.

"Ryuen-kun has also entrusted me to conduct a private investigation into this matter. However, due to recent events, he cannot act rashly for the time being. Actually... I'm also quite curious about this matter myself. So..."

Shiina lowered her head and formally made her request to Fuyuji.

"Fuyuji-kun, if you have the time tomorrow afternoon... could you accompany me on a trip?"

"..."

Oh Ryuen. Could it be that you're fated to be countered by me in every possible way? How, how did this land right in my lap yet again?

"But of course I do. I'm a person who always has plenty of free time." Fuyuji revealed a warm and benevolent smile.

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