Chapter 14: The Proposal
Kana, her brilliant theory shot down in flames, managed a slightly forced, sheepish smile. âOh, r-really? Well, if even Senpai says so, then I guess thereâs no connection after all.â
Yomikawa Tsuko offered a placating smile. âWhile the two stories are almost certainly unrelated â Mary-sanâs tale being a known fabrication, after all â your contribution was valuable, Kana-san. Youâve helped us definitively cross one possibility off our list.â As she spoke the comforting words, a fleeting image of the real Senpai flickered in her mind â had she, too, offered such empty reassurances to her club members? And if so, what had been her true thoughts, her hidden agenda, in those moments?
âAlright, my turn then, I suppose.â
Junkoâs hand shot up. Seeing no immediate challengers, she produced a meticulously kept notebook and spread it open on the table, revealing a surprisingly detailed sketch.
âWow⌠Junko-chan, did you draw this?â Kana asked, her eyes wide with genuine admiration.
The page was a carefully rendered map, a series of simple grids and lines charting the starting and ending points of Kimuraâs four nocturnal journeys.
âBut of course! Sketched it out last night, right after homework,â Junko declared with a little toss of her ponytail, a spark of pride in her voice. âIâve done some rough calculations, mapping out Kimura-sanâs sleepwalking times and probable routes. And I think Iâve come up with a viable method to verify whether his sleepwalking episodes are genuine, or⌠something else.â
She tapped a perfectly manicured fingernail on the page. âFirst, letâs break down the timing.â
âEpisode one: the Saturday night before last. Destination: that little park straddling the border of Nagano and Fura Wards. Straight-line distance, roughly eight kilometers. The actual walking distance, even checking a map, wouldnât be much different. He stumbled home at four in the morning. Which means, logically, he must have started his⌠excursion⌠around midnight.â
âNext, episode two: He woke up at the westernmost edge of Fura Ward, right at the foot of Mount Karasu-Go. Straight-line, eighteen kilometers. If you plot an actual walking route, the shortest path is closer to twenty. He made it home around eight in the morning that time. So, again, working backwards⌠he likely set off around midnight.â
âEpisode three, the night he had his phone: Woke up on Mount Karasu-Go itself, around five AM. Itâs fair to assume that the extra hour was spent on the actual climb, wouldnât you agree? So, the pattern holds. Another midnight departure.â
Takada ShĹji, who had been listening with rapt attention, nodded slowly. âThe timeline seems solid. But how does that help us prove if he was really sleepwalking, or if itâs all just⌠a story?â
âElementary,â Junko said, unconsciously adopting Ĺgami YĹsukeâs confident, analytical tone. âWe reconstruct Kimura-sanâs most probable routes. Then, we attempt to access any available surveillance footage from cameras along those paths. If we can find a single, verifiable image â just one â of Kimura-san, at the correct time, in his pajamas and slippers, as ItĹ-san described⌠then we have our proof. Confirmation that his account is, at least in that respect, true.â
Kana chewed on her lip, considering it. The logic was sound. âGiven the timing, Kimura-san must have been moving at a pretty brisk pace during these episodes. And he would have instinctively taken the shortest, most direct routes. So, mapping them out shouldnât be impossible. The real hurdle is⌠how do a bunch of high school students get their hands on official surveillance footage? Weâre not exactly the police.â
Junkoâs confident expression faltered slightly. She knew Kana was right. The plan sounded great on paper, but the practical execution⌠a group of teenagers, asking to review security tapes? Theyâd be laughed out of every office.
âBut if we apply ourselves, if weâre⌠creative⌠itâs not entirely beyond the realm of possibility,â Yomikawa interjected, a new, intriguing idea beginning to form in the intricate pathways of her mind. This plan, she realized, had a hidden benefit: it would be incredibly time-consuming. Painstakingly identifying camera locations, negotiating access, sifting through hours of footage⌠even if they knew the approximate times, it would take days, perhaps weeks. And even if they found nothing, it wouldnât definitively disprove Kimuraâs story; he could have taken an unmonitored route. As long as she could keep them chasing these threads of doubt, these unobtainable maybes⌠yes, a week or two could easily vanish. It was already mid-June. Summer vacation was tantalizingly close. If she could keep their collective energy focused on this wild goose chase until then⌠perfect.
And so, Yomikawa began to subtly steer them, offering her own⌠deliberately inefficient⌠suggestions. âFor instance, once weâve mapped the probable routes, we could physically walk them. Scout out the camera locations ourselves. Government-installed cameras, those are likely off-limits. But cameras belonging to private businesses, shops, convenience stores⌠perhaps, with a little persuasion, a carefully worded requestâŚâ
Kanaâs eyes lit up, instantly grasping the appeal of this modified plan. âSenpai, youâre a genius! We could make it a group activity! This weekend, maybe?â Her mind was already painting a delightful picture: the club members, out and about in their casual weekend attire, a leisurely investigation, perhaps with a bit of window shopping thrown in. The actual outcome of the investigation was, to her, a secondary concern. The shared experience, the fun of it, that was the real prize.
Takada ShĹji, ever agreeable when Senpai was involved, immediately voiced his enthusiastic approval. The plan was, in his estimation, flawless.
Junko, however, hesitated, her gaze flicking towards Ĺgami YĹsuke, a hopeful, almost pleading, look on her face. âWhat do you think, Ĺgami-kun? Does that sound⌠workable?â
Ĺgami YĹsukeâs brow was deeply furrowed. Yomikawa-senpai, proposing such a convoluted, time-wasting, and ultimately⌠amateurish⌠plan? It was baffling. Utterly out of character for someone with her sharp, analytical mind. Surely, she could devise a far more direct, more effective, strategy.
âI just⌠I feel this isnât the most optimal approach,â he began, choosing his words carefully. âEven if we manage to convince one or two shop owners to let us review their footage⌠if we donât find Kimura-kun, what does that prove? Nothing, conclusively.â
The moment the words left his mouth, he felt the atmosphere in the room shift, cold perceptibly. The expressions on Kanaâs and Takadaâs faces hardened, a subtle frost settling over their earlier enthusiasm.
Ĺgami, however, lost in the logic of his own argument, pressed on, oblivious. âAnd besides, the sheer amount of time involved⌠itâs impractical, isnât it? If we could simply enlist the assistance of the police, someone with the authority to access these records directly⌠it would be far more efficient. We might even have our answers before school ends tomorrow.â
He paused, a new thought striking him. âAs it happens, I do know a police officer. The one who⌠well, if I were to ask him, as a personal favorâŚâ
He looked up then, and finally registered the change in the room. Takada and Kana were both staring at him, their expressions now openly hostile. The previously warm, collaborative atmosphere had curdled, replaced by a strained, awkward silence.
âWhat⌠whatâs wrong?â Ĺgami stammered, finally realizing heâd made a serious misstep.
âĹgami-san⌠you really are quite⌠dedicated, arenât you?â Kana said, her voice dripping with a saccharine sweetness that was far more cutting than open anger. She leaned back in her chair, her gaze cold and appraising, as if seeing him clearly for the first time. âSo very different from the rest of us. Your methods are so⌠efficient. So effective. Truly, the mark of a professional. We⌠we mere amateurs⌠weâd only hold you back. Please, forgive our foolishness.â
Takada added a derisive snort. âThatâs the same cop who was so quick to suspect Senpai, isnât it? Yeah, I donât think I need his kind of âhelpâ.â
Junko froze, her eyes darting between Ĺgamiâs bewildered face and the hostile expressions of the others. And then, with a sickening lurch, she understood. Of course. For everyone else, this investigation into Kimuraâs plight was a club activity, a thrilling diversion, a game. But for Ĺgami YĹsuke, it was something more. It was a puzzle to be solved, a truth to be unearthed, a genuine investigation.
Kana, she realized, wasnât primarily concerned with efficiency, or even with the ultimate truth of Kimuraâs story. What mattered to her was the camaraderie, the shared experience, the fun of being part of the group.
And Takada? His loyalty was absolute, and singular: to Senpai. If Senpai proposed a plan, it was, by definition, the best plan. Anyone who dared to question it, to suggest an alternative, was, by extension, questioning Senpai herself. An act of lèse-majestÊ.
A wave of indecision washed over Junko. Senpaiâs plan, the weekend outing, it wasnât without its appeal. It would give her more opportunities to be near Ĺgami YĹsuke, to perhaps⌠deepen their connection.
But Ĺgamiâs direct approach, his talk of police assistance⌠that, too, held a certain allure. If she were to accompany him, just the two of them, to speak with this officer⌠wouldnât that be almost⌠like a date? A real, grown-up, investigative date?
The thought sent a thrill through her. But to pursue it, she would have to openly defy Senpai. And while Kana and Takadaâs disapproval was one thing⌠Senpai⌠Senpai was another matter entirely.
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