The Eccentric, the Beauty, and the Detective: Kiriki Junka's Mystery Log Volume 1 Chapter 10

After school, as planned, Junka and I hid in the washroom near 1, 3. While the hallways did fill with students headed home or to their clubs, that had mostly quieted down. After twenty minutes, it was totally clear.

“Last I checked, Miyako-sensei’s long, white chalk hadn’t been broken. I’m sure that our culprit will appear for his crime.”

I checked my appearance in the mirror. My kenzan-esque black hair pointed up, and my eyes glared like a wolf hunting its prey. My eyebrows were short and thin, and my mouth showed more signs of irritation than usual. As I thought… not particularly good.

“Still, we have no idea about the motive. If it’s a grudge against Miyako-sensei, it’d be more effective to, say, break the chalk after school on a Wednesday if mathematics A was first block on Thursday to directly bother her. Why is it broken after maths A and not before?”

Junka was discrete about it, “I’ve got a grasp on the reasons, but I don’t want to say anything until I have absolute proof.”

“What’s the culprit’s true colour?”

“I have my expectations, but I’m keeping quiet about that too. I don’t want to embarrass myself.”

“I’m a member of sorts of the detective association. You still won’t tell me?”

“It’s a delicate matter.”

“Oh, I see.”

We watched the halls and confirmed nobody was approaching. The ticking of my watch resounded surprisingly loudly in the washroom. We were waiting for the moment of the crime.

I got impatient after about thirty minutes.

“Isn’t he not going to come today?”

“Shh, you’re too loud. Listen carefully for footsteps.”

“Aight.”

Forty minutes, fifty minutes, and finally an hour passed since the beginning of our stakeout. I had lost interest, and was tired, and I wanted to go home right away.

That was when it happened. Though faint, I could hear footsteps coming down the hall.

“Here it is.”

Junka laughed with a smirk. I nervously straightened my back and listened. With the sound of the class door sliding open, Junka grabbed my wrist and headed out quietly so as not to be discovered. His other hand started recording video on his smartphone.

After carefully reaching the door, we peeked inside. Bathed there in the setting sun, the figure I saw was one that I knew, one that I longed for and loved. She took the long chalk from the dust collector and took out a compact piece of white, plastic wrapped chalk. She then split it in half, and left the two pieces in the dust collector.

“That’s enough!”

Junka’s abrupt shout took her —took Iida Nao— aback. Forgetting the chalk box in her hand, she dropped it to the floor. Long chalk spilled from inside, along with smaller, fragmented chalk.

“Iidsan!”

I couldn’t manage a second sentence. The culprit was the one I loved: Iida Nao. How to understand or accept that fact, as well as how to best resolve the situation, all spun through my head. Junka brought his camera lens to bear on Nao.

“As you can see, I’ve filmed you, so there’s no escape, Iidsan. Too bad.”

Nao was too shocked, and her eyes watered with dejection.

“That’s true, I can’t run.”

Her voice was shaky… or so I thought, when…

“Uuu…uuuaaaaaaahh!”

She began to cry. Great tears spilled from both corners of her eyes, running down her cheeks and splashing against the floor. It seemed she had broken countless pieces of chalk. Nao collapsed to her knees, dejected, and continued there to weep. Raising a great cry of lamentation there in the sunset classroom.

“So, you’re all right now, Iidsan. Would you care to talk?”

While her tears had not ceased, the volume had gradually decreased. Even still, it was not enough for her to be able to respond to Junka’s request.

Junka then resigned himself to tell her, “I’ll start first, then. Please let me know if I’m wrong. Iidsan, you like Miyako-sensei, don’t you.”

I was struck dumb there beside Junka. She liked Miyako-sensei… that fact, once revealed, pierced my heart. Junka didn’t notice.

He continued, “Then, you couldn’t help but want the chalk used by your beloved Miyako-sensei. That’s why, probably playfully, and likely after school of the Tuesday just two weeks ago, you stole the first one. That long chalk that Miyako-sensei used was enough for you, Iidsan. Nobody noticed,” Junka continued to condemn the still crying Nao without mercy, “The first theft was supposed to be the last, but, Iidsan, you couldn’t handle it… or so I say, but it just felt wrong to steal from the school. That was why you bought the same chalk-box that the school used. You bought that there box and supplied your own broken chalk. Thursday of the week before last, you stole Miyako-sensei’s chalk when everybody was away for PE and replaced it with your own.”

I couldn’t contain my shock.

“Not breaking Miyako-sensei’s chalk, but replacing it with her own, pre-broken chalk?”

Junka nodded.

“The previous chalk hadn’t seemed to have been broken on the spot. Had it been broken in the dust catcher, the fragments would have been caught, but there were none to be found. Then there was the fact of the fresh wrapping. That was how I figured out that it wasn’t broken in the classroom, but somewhere else and brought in that state. Isn’t that right, Iidsan?”

Nao had finally stopped weeping, but without her former energy, all she could do was nod.

Junka opened his mouth once more, “The rest is conjecture. You broke the chalk to intentionally anger Miyako-sensei because you enjoy that feeling. Being able to sway the feelings of the one you love brought you immense pleasure, didn’t it, Iidsan? It was almost as if you had Miyako-sensei all to yourself. That was why you continued to exchange your chalk for hers.”

“I’m sorry…” leaked a small, weak voice from Nao.

“It’s as you say, Kiriki-kun. That’s right, I like Miyako-sensei. Love her more than anyone. Those four pieces of chalk I brought home are my treasure. I know I shouldn’t do it, but I couldn’t stop myself. I even knew it was dangerous today, but I couldn’t stop myself.”

Junka huffed.

“I figured that it was someone in the going-home club. You had to be free after school on Tuesday or before school on Wednesday. Also, Iidsan, you stared hotly at Miyako-sensei during maths A like a puppy. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t like her.”

He had said something similar before. The boy had a good eye.

“That’s why I was fairly sure you were the culprit. I did want to be wrong, though. Still, if you like Miyako-sensei, it’d have been best to tell her straight. Just how that turned into a criminal act of chalk theft, I’ll never understand.”

He struck his chest.

“That concludes this case.”

A harsh expression returned to his face.

“Now… what to do? Shall I tell it all to Miyako-sensei? I think you need a good scolding from the offended teacher, Iidsan.”

“Turn a blind eye.”

Nao looked up, both eyes red.

“I’ve made a mistake, done something I never should have done. I know that. I’m really sorry, I really regret it, but I don’t want to be hated by Miyako-sensei. I adore her. If she found out about my secret, I couldn’t live.”

More tears came.

“Please, you two. Don’t tell Miyako-sensei about this. I’ll do anything…”

I was too hurt to speak. I knew too well how the girl I couldn’t confess to felt. I was the same.

Junka’s voice was stern.

“You’ll really do anything?”

“Yeah.”

“Really anything?”

“Yes, anything.”

“Unconditionally?”

“Of course.”

Oi, Junka, what are you going to make her do?

He put up his index finger.

“Then I’ll have you listen carefully to what I have to say, Iidsan.”

“What is it?”

“Be the detective association’s secretary.”

We stared hard enough at Junka’s joking face to burn a hole in it.

“Oi Junka, don’t mess around.”

“It’s no joke. I’m really serious. I want her to become a compatriot in exchange for keeping this from Miyako-sensei. Even at best, you and I aren’t enough, Rouji-kun. If we can have Iidsan, who is friendly with everyone, for intelligence gathering, it would be a great asset. What do you say, Iidsan?”

“I’m in.”

Nao was more okay with it than I expected.

“If it’ll keep you from telling, I’ll gladly join your detective association. Not that I know what kind of an association it is…”

So that’s how much she loved Miyako-sensei. There was nothing I could say.

Junka, though, gave a brief summary of the detective association, “I’m the brains and the chairman. Rouji-kun is the brawn, and we settle and we are an association that settles doubts, problems, and objections. About what we’re up to right now.”

I didn’t think he’d explained it well.

Junka held out a hand.

“Stand.”

After looking at his extended palm, she soon took it.

“Then it’s decided. Welcome to the detective association!”

Junka pulled her up.

And so, the detective association grew to three members. Though confounded at first, I was glad to have the object of my affection join the association.

I thought with a smile on all the magnificent activities I would be able to undertake.

Translator's Note:

I don’t trust Nao at all. The only thing she was sorry for was that she got caught. The only thing she regretted was being found. Junka better make a backup of that video file. Umitou is still the best culprit. At least she held her ground, even with Yamagishi in mind. While Umitou could use a little humility, Nao seems to be lacking shame.

Just for fun, let's see what the Law of Moses has to say about what Nao should do.

Exodus 22:4 "If what he stole is actually found alive in his possession, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double."

While it might not be a sheep, the precedent is clear: Nao should return Miyako-sensei's long, white chalk and also provide four more long, white pieces of chalk.

Editor’s Note:

Hum Hum… I'm.. unsure whether to be disappointed because of how cheap it is to make the reason Iida didn't hook up with the brawns being that she's in love with a female teacher. Not that I mind the premise mind you, but I feel that she shouldn't have been our Mc's love interest. Naturally, out of all reasons that he didn't get the girl, her just having a completely different sexual orientation is actually fairly high up there on decent reasons along with: I just don't like you or know you that much. Buuuut turning her into the criminal feels a bit.. Cheap… Then again, that's Chekhov's smoking gun for you~~.

Chapter end