Uchiha Ryo looked at Chitanda speechlessly. The reason he took the initiative to come over and stay the night was that he suspected there was a youkai in her house, and now she was actively dragging another person along....
I just hope that old lady really has no malicious intent, so that the number of people to protect doesn't go from one to two.
Yukino: "...Eru, did I just hear Uchiha-kun's voice?"
"Mhm, Uchiha-kun is staying over tonight too. Hehe, you'll come, right? Then I'll wait for you at home!"
Yukino gave a sound of agreement, then hung up the phone.
Heh, I was just guessing that someone went back to his hometown to find his little brother because he cared about his family, but he actually ran off to the Chitanda family.
That guy! Yukino stood up and left. She wanted to rush to the Chitanda family as fast as possible.
.....
On the other side, after Chitanda put down the phone, she stood up and looked at Uchiha Ryo.
"This is the teacup the old lady gave me. Uchiha-kun, please sit here for a while. I'll go change my clothes."
Uchiha Ryo nodded, then glanced at the pond outside the corridor, where brightly colored koi were swimming.
Unlike the Shinomiya residence in the city, the Chitanda family, built amidst vast farmland, occupied an area no less than a school.
Sitting in the Japanese-style bungalow listening to the gurgling water outside, the courtyard was filled with neatly trimmed pine trees. However, compared to the Shinomiya family where servants could be seen everywhere, the Chitanda family didn't seem to like having many people around.
Uchiha Ryo picked up the somewhat old-fashioned teacup and used his phone to connect remotely with Nyanko-sensei at Takashi's house.
The teacup suddenly trembled in Uchiha Ryo's hand.
"Oh? It really is a youkai. Should I just destroy you?"
On the other end, although Nyanko-sensei couldn't feel the teacup's demonic energy through the phone, he just glanced at it and said casually.
"Famous craftsmen in ancient times would throw away their defective tea bowls. Some of them absorbed the essence of the earth and became youkai. Because their bodies were given by humans, they are very close to humans."
"However, there are rumors that this kind of teacup youkai approaching humans will bring disaster to that household. But it's just a rumor. I haven't heard of any onmyoji targeting such small youkai. It should be harmless."
Uchiha Ryo looked at the trembling teacup in his hand. "Harmless? Don't worry, I won't smash you. But don't stay here anymore. I'll take you away tomorrow."
Regardless of rumors or anything else, Uchiha Ryo did not intend to let a youkai live in the Chitanda household.
Putting down the antique teacup, Chitanda, dressed in home clothes, also walked in. After taking off her school uniform, her silky black hair hung naturally behind her, and the pale green dress highlighted the girl's cuteness.
Not long after, Yukinoshita Yukino appeared in the room with a calm face.
Yukinoshita: "So, why is this guy here?"
Chitanda sat next to Uchiha Ryo, thought for a moment, and said to Yukinoshita across the table. "Mainly because of me."
"Because of you?"
Yukino fell silent. Her gaze swept over Uchiha Ryo and the gentle-faced Chitanda Eru. On one side was the friend she got along best with since entering Shuchiin High School, and on the other....
Is it because of the season? Do I have hay fever? My nose feels sour, and my chest hurts a little.
"Whew...."
Chitanda was the first to notice the abnormality. She stood up and patted Yukino on the back in confusion.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? If Yukino feels unwell, you can rest first. Leave the script research to us!"
Yukino looked up. "You're discussing the script?"
Chitanda Eru nodded blankly. "That's right. I took the initiative to ask Uchiha-kun to help me research the script, so Uchiha-kun came over."
"Mhm.... But I felt that there is strength in numbers, so I called Yukino too. Tonight, relying on us, we will definitely be able to perfect Hongo-senpai's script!"
Yukino breathed a long sigh of relief. So they were discussing the script. In that case, there was nothing to worry about.
Chitanda stayed there and sat next to Yukino, then looked at Uchiha Ryo in confusion.
"Uchiha-kun, what do you mean by saying that Hongo-senpai couldn't write not because of illness, but because the second half of her script was rejected by the Drama Club?"
Yukinoshita: "Is that so!"
Uchiha Ryo waved his hand. "Just a guess. But if you want to hear it, I can tell you."
The reason lay in a survey form placed with the script. That form contained various anonymous votes related to the script. Among them was [Voting on Murder Motive].....
Uchiha Ryo unreservedly told them his conjecture and the conversation he had with Irisu Fuyumi before the meeting.
It had to be said, this conjecture was indeed imaginative, but... in reality, it was feasible.
And the key to solving everything lay in where Hongo-senpai was now.
Yukinoshita: "Eru, you know that Irisu-senpai, right? Why don't you ask which hospital Hongo-senpai is in?"
Chitanda lowered her head. "I'm afraid not. Given Irisu-senpai's personality, even if we guessed right, she wouldn't let us find Hongo-senpai easily. We can only wait until this play is over."
The current Chitanda was trying her best to deduce the original second half based on Hongo-senpai's first half of the script, rather than creating an original one.
But based on the known information, this was not something that could be figured out simply.
Night fell. After dinner, the three of them were still in the room pondering.
Uchiha Ryo: "You two go to sleep first. We still have plenty of time, no need to stay up."
Chitanda rubbed her eyes. Obviously, she wasn't good at staying up late.
"What about you?"
Uchiha Ryo held a note with his scribbles on it. "I'll have a cup of coffee later and continue thinking. I promised you, didn't I? I won't sleep until I figure it out tonight."
Yukino looked at Uchiha Ryo worriedly. "Like you said, there's still plenty of time. You should go to sleep too."
Uchiha Ryo: "Does that count as an invitation?"
Yukino looked at Uchiha Ryo speechlessly, then pulled up the groggy Chitanda. "Eru and I are going back to the bedroom. If you're not sleeping, just sit here all night!"
Watching the two leave the room, Uchiha Ryo smiled, then glanced at the antique teacup still in front of him.
"Since I don't know your origin, I have to watch you, little guy. I'll take you away tomorrow and return you to that old lady."
The teacup shook slightly, then became quiet, and Uchiha Ryo continued to look at the notes in his hand.
The empty room was extremely quiet. At this moment, only the ticking of the clock hands could be heard.
So what was the murder motive? Student A's cause of death was bleeding from the carotid artery. If the murder weapon wasn't found, then the murder weapon could only be judged as broken glass.
Then who used what method to make the glass, which had been in disrepair for years, break from a high place and coincidentally cut Student A, who was right next to it?
Coincidentally? Wait a minute. Poor quality glass exposed to wind and rain in the mountains for decades, and old wooden window frames. It is entirely possible that they were blown broken by a storm, causing the glass to fall and shatter on its own, cutting Student A who was right next to it.
It sounds unbelievable, right? But the world is made up of countless coincidences.
Why did the six people stay overnight in the ancient village halfway up the mountain? Because it might rain at night. And before the rain.... there would be strong winds!
And why was one vote missing in the murder motive vote? Because there was no murder motive at all. Student A's death was... an accident?
Probably no one would accept that the final cause of the murder incident was accidental death. But the Drama Club just had to bring out this unqualified script and say it directly?!
[The second half of our script is not good, it needs to be rewritten.] Saying this to the Classic Literature Club, wouldn't that work?
Why did they say Hongo-senpai couldn't write the script because she was sick, instead of saying the script was bad!
Then there is only one reason. The Drama Club rejected the second half of Hongo-senpai's script, not because the script was boring.... but because they didn't want this part of the script to be performed!!
Didn't want it to be performed! And didn't want this part of the script to be seen by anyone, so they hid the script along with Hongo-senpai! Hehe... Uchiha Ryo stood up. The time on the clock had already reached midnight.