During lunch break, Natsukawa Sosuke was about to head to the cafeteria when a figure blocked his path.
It was Horikita Suzune.
Today, she seemed a little different from usual. Although her cold face still showed no expression, a hard-to-conceal light gleamed in the depths of her sharp eyes.
"I found it."
Without any extra pleasantries, she handed a folded printout directly to Natsukawa. Her movements were steady, carrying the confidence of someone who had everything under control.
Natsukawa Sosuke took the paper and unfolded it, glancing at it.
It was a convenience store transaction record.
"This is Ishizaki Daichi from Class C's transaction record from 12:30 PM on the day of the incident." Horikita Suzune's tone was calm, yet it couldn't hide her impending triumph. "He bought bandages and plasters. The time was before they went to cause trouble for Sudo-kun that afternoon."
She looked at Natsukawa, the corner of her mouth curving slightly upward, forming a faint, victorious arc.
"This is irrefutable evidence of their premeditated harm. With this, we can make them speechless at the Student Council tomorrow."
This time, it was she, Horikita Suzune, who, relying on her own judgment and initiative, found the trump card that could overturn the entire situation.
She expected to see a hint of surprise, or at least approval, on Natsukawa Sosuke's face.
However, Natsukawa Sosuke's reaction disappointed her.
He merely looked at the record calmly, his expression unchanged, as if it were just an unimportant piece of scrap paper.
A moment later, he looked up at Horikita.
"What if," his voice was light, yet it was like a bucket of ice water instantly poured over Horikita's head, "he has a perfect explanation?"
"...What?"
The hint of smugness on Horikita's face instantly froze.
"He could completely say that these items were prepared for minor scratches that might occur during club activities at noon, and had nothing to do with the conflict with Sudo in the afternoon." Natsukawa's tone was unruffled, yet every word pierced her heart. "Do you have evidence that proves a necessary connection between these two events?"
Horikita Suzune's lips moved, but she couldn't utter a single word.
Her heart, which had swelled with pride after finding the "trump card evidence," was mercilessly punctured at this moment by Natsukawa Sosuke's understatement.
The confidence she had just built instantly collapsed, replaced by a familiar sense of powerlessness and frustration.
"So, this paper can at most serve as supplementary evidence to disrupt the opponent's mindset, but it can never be our main point of attack." Natsukawa refolded the record and handed it back to her.
He looked at Horikita's somewhat dazed expression, then took out a bound document and a USB drive from his backpack.
"This is Plan B, and it's our ultimate trump card."
Horikita Suzune subconsciously took the document and opened it.
Inside were dozens of high-definition images extracted from surveillance footage. Below each image, the unreasonable actions of the three Class C students were marked in red font, accompanied by detailed text explanations and suggestions on how to question these suspicious points.
"The core of this strategy isn't to ask them 'why they lied,' nor is it to dwell on details like bandages." Natsukawa's voice chimed in. "Instead, it's to use logical deduction, step by step, in front of everyone in the Student Council, to force them into a situation where they must accept 'isolated questioning.'"
He looked at Horikita, his gaze becoming serious.
"Horikita, you must remember, your task tomorrow is not to be a detective revealing the truth, but to be a lawyer defending a client. What you need to do is not to prove them guilty, but to use the suspicious points we have to persuade the judge to believe that the opponent's testimony has significant suspicion of being colluded beforehand and severely corrupted. As long as we can achieve this, we win."
Horikita Suzune tightly clutched the document in her hand, her mind in turmoil.
Although she still regarded the convenience store receipt as her trump card, under Natsukawa's calm analysis, she half-believed and half-doubted, treating this Plan B as her final safeguard... The afternoon dismissal bell rang, and tomorrow would be the day of destiny. The Class D students, however, were not as tense as in previous days, leaving in twos and threes. Kushida Kikyo was also pulled along by a few close friends, saying they were going to try a newly opened dessert shop.
Natsukawa Sosuke, meanwhile, returned to his loyal Library.
After watching surveillance footage for so long, he really didn't want to open his computer again recently.
He walked to his usual corner seat, familiar with the route, only to find a quiet figure already sitting in the window seat not far away.
Long, soft gray hair, a neat and tidy school uniform, quietly engrossed in a book, immersed in her own world.
It was Shiina Hiyori from Class C.
Natsukawa did not disturb her, but quietly sat down diagonally opposite, a few seats away. He picked up Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd from the bookshelf, opened it, and began to read.
The Library was quiet, with only the rustle of turning pages and the occasional sound of wind from outside the window.
About an hour passed like this.
Shiina Hiyori gently closed the book in her hands, letting out a soft, satisfied sigh. She looked up, her eyes, like clear lake water, meeting Natsukawa's.
"Natsukawa-kun."
Her voice was soft, like a dream.
"Do you think... the core of orthodox mystery is absolute 'logic,' or complex 'humanity'?"
Natsukawa Sosuke looked up from his book, a little surprised by the question.
"Logic is the skeleton, humanity is the flesh and blood," he thought for a moment before replying. "Without logic, the puzzle can't stand; without humanity, the story can't touch the soul."
Shiina Hiyori's eyes lit up slightly. She tilted her head gently, her soft hair flowing like silk.
"Indeed... you think the same as I do. But, Natsukawa-kun, do you feel that sometimes, overly pursuing logical perfection can actually lead to a loss of insight into true human nature?"
She gently opened the copy of The Vampire Mansion in her hands.
"Just like this book, the trick of the Murder (yokoku satsujin) is exquisite, and the logical chain is perfectly closed. But the murderer... is more like a'symbol' existing to achieve this perfect trick; the 'human' part of him is blurred instead."
Natsukawa Sosuke understood instantly.
This girl in front of him, while enjoying the thrill of extreme logic, also yearned for a deeper human resonance with the characters in the book.
"Perhaps, this is the paradox of orthodox mystery, and also its charm." He put down The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. "It uses the most rational framework to encapsulate the most irrational emotions—hatred, love, jealousy, protection. We are engrossed in solving the mystery, but what truly makes us ponder after closing the book is often the murderer's 'why' after the puzzle is revealed."
He looked at Shiina Hiyori's focused eyes and continued, "Logic can help us 'deduce' the murderer, but only by trying to 'understand' human nature can we touch the 'truth' of the incident. It's like... understanding a character's motives is far more complex and important than simply identifying whether they are the culprit."
"Yes... exactly!"
Shiina Hiyori's eyes widened slightly, sparkling with an uncontrollable excitement of finding a kindred spirit. She even unconsciously leaned forward.
"I often feel that the most perfect 'orthodox mystery' isn't just a physical locked room, but a 'locked room of the mind.' How to use the key of logic to open that locked heart is the ultimate puzzle..."
Her voice rose slightly due to excitement, then she immediately realized her impropriety, a cute blush spreading across her fair cheeks, but the sparkle in her eyes did not fade in the slightest.
Natsukawa Sosuke smiled faintly.
"So, reading mysteries, to some extent, is also reading ourselves. We identify with the detective's perspective, trying to sort out this chaotic world with order and reason. This, in itself, is a way to confront nihility."
These words touched upon deeper philosophical contemplation.
Shiina Hiyori fell completely silent. She looked deeply at Natsukawa, as if trying to see through his calm exterior to the soul within him that also pursued order and understanding.
After a long while, she spoke softly, almost in a whisper: "Natsukawa-kun... it's really... wonderful to be able to discuss these things with you."
She didn't discuss more details about the book, but simply hugged The Vampire Mansion tighter, as if this beloved item had been imbued with new significance at this moment.
"I think I... kind of understand why some mysteries, even after being solved, still linger in one's mind," she murmured, as if to herself, yet also as if specifically for Natsukawa.
They did not discuss specific tricks anymore, but a silent understanding flowed quietly in the air.
They both knew that the other was an extremely rare kindred spirit who could understand the realm of "logic above, humanity unfulfilled."
As she was leaving, Shiina Hiyori took out an exquisite bookmark from her schoolbag. On the bookmark was the iconic "Y" symbol of mystery novelist Ellery Queen.
She gently placed the bookmark on the table in front of Natsukawa.
"This is... for you." A faint, incredibly sincere smile graced her face. "I hope... we can explore more mysteries together in the future."
With that, she left silently, like a contented kitten, hugging her book.
Natsukawa Sosuke picked up the bookmark, which carried a faint scent of books, and felt a spiritual connection that transcended a simple "book friend" relationship, based on profound understanding.
This exchange, though seemingly providing no valuable information or achieving any utilitarian transaction, filled him with a rare and profound sense of spiritual fulfillment.
In this school full of calculations and games, having such a book friend with whom he could purely engage in a soul-to-soul conversation was, perhaps, an invaluable treasure in itself.
.....
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