I’m reporting on a few mistakes found and fixed during the revisions for the paperback version.
* Ena’s level at the time of parting with Soma: “72” -> “74”
* In the flashback of the marriage event: “Ramur’s Inn” -> “Capital City Inn”
* In the weapon description: “corrects character abilities” -> “correcting character abilities”
* Description of Ringo’s hair having a loose wave has been deleted.
From here on, I expect the comments section to be a minefield.
“—Look, if the Barrier is gone, then the culprit is pretty much confirmed, don’t you think?
They know who has the key, and they can tell which attribute was used… Hey, Soma, are you listening?”
“I’m listening, I’m listening. I’m definitely listening.”
Of course, I wasn’t listening, but I answered like that.
“Mmm. Is that so…?.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Well, if you say so. Anyway, so, so….”
When I played along, Maki’s mood immediately improved, and she easily resumed her story.
Although the content was a bit of a complaint, it was like a Gamer talking about the dissatisfying aspects of a Game, and it was clear from watching her that she was actually enjoying herself immensely.
“Now, the problem is what to do with the stolen ring.”
“It’s such a small ring, why not just put it in your pocket or something?”
“Soma, you idiot! They’ll find it right away if they search you!”
Why do I have to be the one to be scolded?
As I savored the unfairness of the world, I replied carelessly.
“Then, in a more fantasy-like way, put it in a magical pocket or something.”
“Geez, think seriously! The people in this mansion don’t have Adventurer’s Bags or Cooler Boxes or anything!
Soma, you really haven’t done enough research!”
“Even if you say that…”
Frankly, I already knew the answer, so there was no need for research, but Maki, who was excited, didn’t seem to accept such common sense.
The reason why I’m in this situation in the first place is that after finishing dinner, Maki dragged me away.
Well, “dragged away” is an exaggeration; she just pulled my arm and led me to the sofa, but even now, my right arm is held tightly against her chest, and I can’t escape.
“I think there’s probably an oversight or a loophole somewhere.
But what that is, we won’t know until the incident actually happens…”
“Hey. Regardless, could you let go of my arm soon?”
I thought I had made a perfectly reasonable request, but Maki looked overtly displeased and held my arm even tighter.
“Why? You’ve been holding Ringo’s hand the whole time!”
“D-did you see that?”
“If you were sleeping there, of course I saw it!
Besides, you walked hand-in-hand with Ena-chan, and just now, you were being lovey-dovey with Sahzan-san too…”
“No, that last one’s a misunderstanding!”
I could accept any other slander or defamation, but that misunderstanding was something I absolutely could not overlook.
I only did that to prevent the Tidal, and I absolutely did not want to admit that I was on good terms with Sahzan.
“—Then, the others weren’t misunderstandings after all.”
She glared at me with a scrutinizing gaze. The strength restraining my arm increased even further.
“I-it’s not like that.”
I stammered slightly, but still, my heart remained calm, without any disturbance. I was just calmly considering the incident, and based on the latest information I had obtained from Maki, I was calmly considering rewriting my mental database to “Maki > Ringo.”
For a while, Maki pouted and looked at me, but eventually, as if giving up, she slightly loosened her grip on my arm. She narrowed her eyes nostalgically.
“…Holding it like this reminds me of the treasure hunts we used to do.
You know, where Soma would draw the treasure map, and I would search for the treasure.”
“Ah, that.”
Now that I think about it, I do have some vague memories of playing that game.
“Back then, Soma was already unnaturally good at deceiving people.
While Soma was playing games, I would be pondering this and that, trying my best to decipher the treasure map.
This is probably why. It’s why I started liking mysteries and stuff.”
“…Is that so?”
I couldn’t bring myself to tell Maki, who spoke nostalgically, that I had actually devised that game to create time when she wouldn’t interfere with my games.
Also, I never actually deceived anyone.
“Thinking about it, it feels like we haven’t changed since then, you know.
Soma gives perfunctory answers, and I get angry—it’s just like back then.”
“No, I think Maki has grown.”
When I stated that definitively,
“…Do you really think so?…”
Maki’s eyes widened in surprise.
While I felt Maki’s growth firsthand, before she could ask me where I thought she had grown, I quickly stood up.
“Whoa. S-Soma?”
Glancing sideways at a surprised Maki, I decided to call for the “maid.” I figured I could afford to indulge Maki a little.
“Lilum! I want to discuss the incident with Maki. Could you lend us your room, please?”
“Eh? My room? But…”
I pushed the hesitant maid a bit more.
“Besides, I want to hear your thoughts on it, Lilum.
…Is that a no?”
The moment I saw the expression on the maid’s face after hearing my words, I knew the answer before she even replied.
“I-if you need me, by all means!!”
“Th-this is an amazing room!”
“Is it? Actually, I put a lot of effort into the interior design. Ehehehee~”
Putting aside the maid’s misunderstanding, Maki looked utterly repulsed the moment she entered; the maid’s room was in a terrible state.
“If I had to give it a title, it would be ‘Site of a Battlefield.'”
First of all, it was probably due to the maid constantly tripping and dropping things. Dents and distortions were noticeable throughout the room. In fact, making the walls so dented would be a challenge even if done intentionally.
Next, it was completely unorganized. It was a saving grace that there were no food items rolling around, but it was the typical room of someone who couldn’t tidy up, with various items scattered haphazardly. I could identify the bookshelf, the closet, and what looked like drawings by a child, but why would someone decorate their room with a broken pot, a headless cherub, or a pruning shear? I couldn’t understand their logic.
And then, as a distinct feature, several tubes of super glue scattered around created a surreal atmosphere. Some still contained glue, while others had glue oozing out and hardened, a testament to the maid’s sloppiness. Despite all this, the room’s decor was distinctly girlish, creating considerable chaos due to the mismatch.
“Ah, please have a seat. I’ll make some tea right away.”
As instructed, I sat down on a chair with a half-broken backrest, at a table in the center of the room with a large square indentation (likely another spot where something was dropped). Maki also sat on a chair next to me, one with a missing armrest.
“Please wait a moment. I’m really good at making tea.”
Amidst the cluttered room, the maid skillfully operated the tea set, which was the only orderly aspect, and her face was serious.
And indeed, the maid’s words were true. She was good at “making” tea, but she spilled it on the way to us.
After that, the maid brought out a spare tea set, which she apparently kept about ten of. Once we finally got our tea, I broke the silence.
“So, first, could you tell us about the people in this house? Are all four of them really trying their best to become the next head of the family?”
“Uh, uhm…”
The maid seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then, with a determined look, she began to speak.
“A-actually, I can tell who is practicing in the Barrier room. Y-you see, this room is directly below the Barrier room, so the footsteps echo…”
“Is that so!? That’s amazing information!?”
At the maid’s unexpected words, Maki leaned in. Yes, well, I already knew that; in fact, that’s why I arranged this meeting.
“Y-yes. They seem to enter the Barrier room quite frequently. Asu-sama, in particular, often comes in at night and disturbs my sleep. Ah, but at those times, if I poke the ceiling with this pruning shear, he gets surprised… Ufufufufu.”
The maid let out a rare, wicked chuckle as she mimed poking the ceiling, but Maki, in detective mode, was unfazed.
“Please tell me! Who comes in, and when!”
Maki took out a notebook and assumed an interviewing posture. Perhaps moved by her enthusiasm, the maid returned from her wicked world.
“Um, I’m just guessing based on the footsteps, so it’s not certain.”
She began to recall and speak, prefacing her statement.
“First, Fai strives to come between 5 PM and 9 PM, often before or after dinner. He used to spend a very long time in there every day, but lately, he hasn’t been coming as much.”
“I see, I see.”
“Mizu usually comes a bit before that, from around 3 PM to 5 PM. Speaking of which, though not as much as Fai, Mizu hasn’t been coming much lately either…”
“Uh-huh, uh-huh.”
“Asu usually comes late at night, between 11 PM and 1 AM. And lately, he’s been coming almost every day, it’s noisy.”
“Ho ho ho~.”
“Fuu-chan… Fuu-sama, he rarely comes alone. He usually joins Asu-sama when he’s practicing, or he was brought by Mizu-sama once… Anyway, Fuu-sama is my oasis of peace!”
“—He doesn’t come alone, doesn’t he?”
Maki was diligently taking notes, seemingly impressed, but for me, this was already known information. I listened as if it were new.
On the other hand, Maki, having understood, looked at her notes again and nodded, then proceeded to ask more in-depth questions.
“Next, who gets along with whom?”
“Y-yes. Fai-sama and Fuu-sama seem to have surprisingly good compatibility. Mizu-sama gets along with Asu-sama, but Mizu-sama and Fai-sama, and Asu-sama and Fuu-sama don’t seem to get along.”
“Then, what about Fai-san and Asu-san, and Mizu-san and Fuu-san?”
“Those… hmm. They’re not particularly close, nor are they on bad terms, I’d say.”
“…I see. Then forming an accomplice group might be difficult, huh?”
Maki’s murmurings drew a response from the maid, “What do you mean?”, and Maki showed her the notes.
Questions:
1. How to enter the Barrier room?
2. How to deactivate the Barrier?
3. How to restore the Barrier?
4. How to possess the stolen ring?
Requirements:
1. Key to the Barrier room (no spare key)
2. Barrier Magic of two attributes out of Fire, Water, Earth, Wind.
3. Barrier Magic of the opposite attribute to the one used in 2.
4. Safe hiding place?
Guard Duty Order:
Elm → Lilum → Mizu → Asu → Fai → Fu
“You know. Deactivating the Barrier is easy. For example, in this guard order, Mizu-san and Asu-san open the door when they switch. If they cooperate, they can use Water and Earth attribute Barrier Magic. This would allow them to deactivate the Barrier.”
“A-are you saying the culprit is Mizu-sama and Asu-sama!?”
Maki chuckled and shook her head at the maid’s hasty conclusion.
“But to restore a Barrier that used Water and Earth attributes, you need Fire and Wind attribute magic. So, ultimately, you’d need magic of all four attributes.”
“Then, if they just left without restoring it…”
“The next person on duty would find it, and the culprit would be identified immediately.”
“Ah…”
Hearing Maki’s words, the maid frowned with an uncharacteristically serious expression and pondered.
“That’s why, to overcome this Barrier, you need a combination of opposite attributes: either Fire and Water, or Earth and Wind. In other words, Fai-san and Mizu-san, or Asu-san and Fuu-san would need to cooperate. However, with this guard order, there’s no opportunity for those two to open the door together.”
“Y-yes. I thought you just randomly decided on that guard order, but Shizun-sama surprisingly put some thought into it, didn’t she?”
The maid nodded, saying something unintentionally rude.
“I’m sure there’s a clever way to do it. I’ve considered the possibility that someone might be able to use two attributes. If that were the case, they wouldn’t go through all this trouble and would just obtain the ring normally. Hmm.”
Maki groaned once, then jumped up and pressed herself against the maid.
“Speaking of which, Lilum-san, you also used magic, right? Could you use Barrier Magic…?”
“I-it’s impossible! I can use a little Wind Magic, but I can’t use Barrier Magic.”
“Really?”
“Really! I swear on the super glue!!”
I didn’t know how much value an oath made on super glue held, but Maki seemed convinced. Losing momentum, she slumped back into her seat.
“…Because only the people of this house can use Barrier Magic. When I was in the slums of the Capital City, I bumped into Shizun-sama, and he picked me up. I couldn’t possibly use such magic.”
“Lilum-san…”
Maki’s voice was filled with a somber tone, and the maid hastily waved her hands.
“D-don’t make that face! Shizun-sama picked me up, and everyone here treats me well. I’m truly happy. My acquaintances in the slums are still living difficult lives… Ah, no, I mean, I was incredibly lucky!”
However, at that moment, the maid’s expression darkened again.
“I was very lucky, and I love everyone in this house… but I somewhat wish that ring would just disappear. Because with a ring like that, everyone fights… Fai-sama, Mizu-sama, Asu-sama, and of course, Fuu-sama, they’re all good people…”
“Is that so….”
Maki was at a loss for words. Perhaps she thought it would be better if she didn’t solve the case, and everything would turn out well. That’s why I gently patted her shoulder.
“Let’s solve it all.”
“Soma?”
To Maki, who looked back at me with a lost expression, I said forcefully,
“Detectives don’t just solve cases, do they? We should find the ring, and then, we should unravel and solve all the problems this household is facing.”
“So-ma. Yes! That’s right! It is!”
Clenching her fist, Maki stood up.
“Lilum-san! Tell me more about this house! I will absolutely lead this case to a happy ending!”
“Yes! Maki-san!!”
Maki and the maid clasped hands. It was a very heartwarming sight. But…
“It’s almost 7 PM, is that okay?”
When I said that, the maid jumped up.
“Oh, oh dear! It’s time for the shift change! If I’m late, Elm-san will glare at me again!”
“It-it’ll be fine. We still have five minutes! Calm down, first we need to go to Shizun-sama and get the key.”
“Y-yes!”
After nodding frantically at Maki’s words, the maid bolted out of the room.
“W-we have to hurry too… Hey Soma, why are you so relaxed?”
I waved my hand at the flustered Maki and replied, “It’s okay, it’s okay.”
“Frankly, in the game, the crime didn’t happen at this time, so it’s not a problem.”
“Soma, no spoilers!”
After seeing Maki off as she ran away, still furious, I also stood up.
“Alright. Well then, I suppose it’s time for me to make a move.”
I confirmed that no one else was around and took out a certain gemstone from my Adventurer’s Bag.
“Ah, that? Soma-san?”
In front of the Barrier room. The maid tilted her head when she saw me, and behind her, Elm bowed silently. The key was in the maid’s hand, and she was just about to insert it into the Barrier room door.
“Good. It seems she hasn’t entered yet.”
I had apparently spent too much time in the room. It was good I made it in time.
“Soma-san, why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to return to everyone?”
To the maid’s question, I smiled and shook my head.
“I was just curious about what this room is like. Aren’t you going to check inside? May I come in too?”
At my words, the maid’s face lit up.
“Of course! Let’s investigate together!”
With her willing acceptance, the three of us—myself, the maid, and Elm—opened the door.
“There’s a Barrier, and it doesn’t seem like anything’s out of the ordinary…”
Peering into the room from outside, the maid murmured indifferently. However, I wasn’t too pleased to let it end there.
“No, there might be something unusual inside if we look. Let’s go in and investigate.”
“Y-yes!”
As I stepped forward, Elm, the butler, caught my hand. My heart skipped a beat.
“I-is something the matter?”
“Excuse me. If you would, please open your hands and show them to me.”
“W-why?”
“…Do I need a reason?”
The butler looked at me with slightly narrowed eyes. The pressure was immense.
“O-of course. Here.”
I slowly opened my left hand. Of course, there was nothing in it.
“Your other hand too.”
Prompted by Elm, I slowly opened my right hand. In it… there was nothing.
“…My apologies. I’m just a worrier.”
“Ah, haha. It’s fine. It’s fine. Caution is necessary, after all.”
I let out a dry chuckle and hurried into the room. The maid, looking bewildered, had already entered and was tilting her head. While returning her smile and assuring her it was fine, I was inwardly in turmoil.
(So sca-ry!)
This event wasn’t in the game. I hadn’t expected the consequences of the game becoming reality to manifest like this. I told myself to be more vigilant. While I didn’t think I was doing anything particularly bad, if I had been careless, I could have faced Game Over right then.
“W-well, let’s look around.”
“Yes! I’ll accompany you!”
Saying something that could almost be mistaken for a line during a date, I moved around the room. My first destination was the corner where I went to see the carved character “未” (mi). I couldn’t be sure of anything unless I confirmed this. Seeing that the character “未” was still clearly visible, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, I couldn’t take any further careless actions. Wherever I went or whatever I did, Elm’s gaze followed me. I felt like I would be suspected if I did anything unusual, so I couldn’t do anything. Once, when I casually went behind a pillar, Elm also casually moved to a new position, adjusting his location so I wouldn’t be out of his sight.
(I’m completely locked on…!!)
In the end, aside from confirming the character “未,” I couldn’t achieve any other beneficial results and left the room.
Then, on the way back to the living room, Elm spoke to me in a dandy voice.
“Soma-sama. When you need to leave the room for any reason, please inform me. I will accompany you even to the restroom to ensure you have no deficiencies.”
“Ah, hahaha. Thank you.”
On the surface, it sounded like a kind offer. But in reality, it was a declaration of complete surveillance.
(This is bad…)
I have things I want to do in secret. But if I’m constantly being watched by a competent butler…
As I glared at Elm, he returned a gentle, yet menacing smile.
—And so began an intense battle with a capable butler, unrelated to the case itself but far more urgent for me.
