Vol 5 Chapter 1 (2/2)

Major just left Alice’s office and poked his head in from the backdoor

“Sorry, I was driving the ladies ere drinking with ht back to Chiba, and just came back Ah! Sheesh, so Tetsu is here as well?”

Hiro-san said whileto the back of the ramen shop

Three sides of the dark space behind the raas tanks, old tires, plastic baskets and a wooden stand that was a replace spot for NEETs

“So the idiots are all here?”

Min-san shook her head somewhat unhappily But since they were customers as well, I pushed the back door open and took their orders

“Naru our tactical ”

“Ack!”

Tetsu-senpai pulled as tank

“But…… I still have to work……”

“As there was a liet a clear ie……”

Co my protests, Major started to explain by himself Hiro-san and Tetsu-senpai leaned forward as well, staring at the laptop computer on the center of the wooden stand

“I’ near the raht, about one in the ”

“But his face couldn’t be seen?”

“Well, the distance was too far, and the light was too dim!”

I took a look fros of the building appeared in a fes, and almost all of thes of the person spying in the shadows of the opposite building shone on by the streetlights could barely be seen, or a few unnatural shadowsin the darkness

“Is that really the stalker?” Tetsu-senpai asked

“Hiro-san, you understand stalkers very well, don’t you?”

“Of course! Night club ladies and those in the ‘special’ profession always face them! I even met a few stalkers directly when I stayed at women’s houses before this as well”

As expected of a gigolo

“Min-san, have you ever received any silent phones recently? Or did you see anything strange in your mailbox?”

Hiro-san directed his question into the kitchen through the backdoor Say, if there were really such obvious movements, Min-san should have realized that there was a stalker nothat, Min-san answered directly:

“Silent phones? Ah…… I’ those quite often recently”

What did you say?

“And also…… I found a lot of my photos in my letterbox as well”

That reeks of a stalker notsukkonore abnormal situations like this completely?

“W- Wait a minute, you said photos…… What kind of photos are they?” Hiro-san started to get anxious

“Nn? Nothing really…… Just so out to buy stuff occasionally! Who on earth would take photos like this? There are really sos like this”

“It see skills aren’t much…… Hmph! An unprofessional stalker!”

Major muttered to himself somewhat trius like this!

“Oi, you bunch of jobless bums, hurry up and let Naru! There’s almost a hill of cutlery here now!”

Min-san roared

“But we can’t pretend we don’t know anything in such a situation……”

Hiro-san lowered his voice He was right, it was already an obvious criminal act

“Do we need to call the cops?” Major asked somewhat unhappily

“A stalker doesn’t count as a stalker if the party concerned didn’t notice him, does he?”

“So that’s why the few of us have to think of so!”

“But that person doesn’t seeive us a request! She doesn’t feel like she’s a victim at all, does she?”

These people who took pride in being hardcore NEETS— although they would be bored to death without a job, they would only take action when they received a request Or else, they would rathertheir ears to listen to the voice of the city

Thus, the gazes of the three naturally focused on myself

Ah, here we go again……

Now that I think of it, that time, I still wasn’t accustomed to iven troublesoht now?)

I returned to the kitchen with the gazes of the trio outside coe and started to clean the bowls in the sink while asking softly

“Erm…… Min-san……”

“What!”

Min-san was staring at the raaze

“Wouldn’t it be better if you request Alice and the three to look into this?”

“Look into what?”

“And you’re asking et broken in recently?”

“I’ll lock the doors and s properly! If they can still break in even so, wouldn’t beating them up suffice?”

I could only sigh As I saw Min-san knocking out four drunken thugs looking for trouble withalone will often encounter dangerous situations’ could not convince her

So what should I do?

I pondered for some time and finally steeled myself to speak

“…… Your sarashi+…… Wasn’t it stolen?”

Min-san’s brows furrohen she heard those words when she was piling up a small hill of onions and bean sprouts

“Right now, the offenderthe sarashi+ in disastrous matters”

“Huh? What kind of disastrous matters?”

“…… Say, so it?”

Min-san’s expression changed visibly

“Shut up! Why are you saying such disgusting things!”

“Sheesh!+ So the thief only stole her sarashi+?” a frequent customer with his face red because of the consuh As the shop was quite small, even conversations in a low voice could be clearly heard by the customers on the counters

“So that’s why you’re wearing a sarashi+ with color?”

Another frequent custo seat stared at Min-san’s breasts

“That’s true…… Stealing a thing like that, it can’t be used in any way other than sniffing it……”

“For me, I’ll sniff it as well”

“If it’s Min-san’s, count me in”

After gulping down alcohol, the drunken customers started to say so one after another Min-san cried out with her face green:

“Why are everyone saying that! Shut up, it’s really gross!”

“I……” want to sniff too— I nearly said that out loud with them, but fortunately stoppedlike that Of course not

After that, Min-san stayed silent, but would occasionally lower her head to look at her breasts while cooking ramen It seemed like my words had an effect on her

But I really couldn’t say it was so to show off for

Min-san only s in a container when the custoradually left, and the peak hour of business passed

“…… I get it already! If you can find a way, do whatever you like!”

Just when I was about to forward the words to the the door, Tetsu-senpai, Major and Hiro-san had long stood up energetically Hiro-san held his cellphone by his ear and was happily talking on the phone: “Oh, Alice? Yeah, it’s ht away…… Yep, yep, we’re counting on you then” Seriously, so these loafers kept eavesdropping with their ears perked up?

Anyway, the NEET Detective Squad started ht after the incident happened

Speaking of which, though they started their o to the ramen shop after school as usual, stay up to acco a new soup, send food to Alice, and being bullied by her along the way

“It’s natural that an assistant detective is like this! The word ‘useless’ is included in its definition as well”

Alice said such overboard things without even batting an eyelid

“And also, do not think that you can contribute anything to the world Perhaps you care for this world very much, but this world actually does not particularly care for you”

Holding a can of Dr Pepper, Alice waved her sockless legs on her bed while sneering at me

“That thought is really too much……”

I leaned e and sat on the floorboards while stirring the vanilla ice crea to myself in despair

“But this is the truth! Hu about this Well,in vain just like that as well……”

If so, continuing to be an innocent child see of which, why must my life be criticized by a hikkikomori NEET like this?

“It’s okay, Narunores your existence, only I will still be worried for you”

Those words really couldn’t help but make people’s hearts accelerate, but Alice continued after that:

“After all, if you do not coet the Dr Pepper froe by myself”

I sighed and leaned e

“You can pick a better way of saying things if you want to consoleelse that I can do?”

“I was not consoling you, but ht, hand the ice crea it!”

I so ice creairl in paja the hard ice creah to make her breathless

“Try thinking of the conditions that God bestowed upon you that Tetsu, Major and Hiro does not have Please do use your brain sometimes”

Conditions that the three did not have, and was only owned by me

I thought for awhile and thought of so

“…… Only I a at the ramen shop?”

“Exactly Which et that we are protecting Well, although you had next to no effect when the intruder appeared last ti you to keep your ears peeled, eyes open and focus on washi+ng the dishes If you notice anything or see any strange people, tell me immediately”

After that, I remembered the odd custo lar appeared Speaking of which, it seemed like I had not mentioned that to Alice yet

“Although this ht be somewhat unrelated—“

When I spoke of the matter, Alice’s brows immediately twitched

“You…… Why did you not speak of this earlier! Your denseness makes me speechless The decay of protons is fast co On what basis do you judge that the person is irrelevant to the ation? If you continue to keep your htly closed like a clam……”

“I’m sorry……”

If I left her alone, I would probably get a twenty ize, while she immediately turned her head around to face the monitor

“Anyway, I will have to search first Although a recording of the shop premise does not exist, he should be captured on a surveillance camera when he enters or exits As we can lock on to a date and tis will be much simpler”

It was already over five in the evening when I left the detective agency and returned to the lower floor Min-san was about to flip the wooden sign on the door with ‘In Preparation’ to ‘Open Nohile by her side was Major, as unusually early He knelt on the floor, holding a peculiar gadget that looked like adoor of the ramen shop entrance

“Major, what are you doing?”

“Investigating the invasion route of the criminal”

It takes a thief to catch a thief, the words suddenly floated into my mind

“He didn’t coht over there that time”

I pointed at the counter

“You were probably dozing off while sitting there, weren’t you?”

Min-san was spot on, and I could only shrink my neck

“Hmm, he would probably be filmed on the surveillance camera if he came in from the front, so it’s actually quite impossible But to be sure, it’s best if we check it out”

Major spoke while standing up

“The door at the back didn’t have any sign of being pried open as well…… Min-san, have you ever dropped your keys?”

“But all of my keys are here”

“Then perhaps he ca…… Vice-admiral Fujishi+ma, did the suspect immediately throw the front door open and scarper? Did he take a long time to open the door?”

“Well……” I tried hard to recall the situation that night “He did indeed open the door to run away right away”

“If one chose to clial infiltration like me will definitely affiruy who’s spying on people when he couldn’t even take photos without perence!”

Hey hey hey, I won’t pretend I never heard that, you know? A person like you…… actually avoided capture up till today, you’re just too lucky

“In any case, let’s strengthen the security first! We can start by pasting anti-theft fil an anti-theft bolt on the s It’s safer to change the lock of the front door as well”

“The front door?”

Min-san crouched through the counter to return to the kitchen and frohen she was tying up her apron

“The lock of the front door…… can’t be changed”

“Why? Even though the lock didn’t have any signs of being pried open, such an outdated spring lock is still very unsafe!”

“Just don’t Do whatever you ith the s, just don’t touch the front door”

Min-san’s tone was rather stern Major and I exchanged glances Why? Was it because she didn’t want to deal with it due to being troublesome? But the landlady was Alice, so we didn’t need to tell her all of the details at all Besides, wouldn’t it be fine just to hand it all to Major?

“Narumi, prepare to start work!”

“Ah, okay”

I only rushed into the kitchen in a fluster when Min-san started to roar at me

That night, I was still acco Min-san in her quest to o hootten what my sister looked like

Late night, only the low hum of the ventilator could be heard in the kitchen The Rishi+mi kelp (specially for business, the type that’s cut into thin strips) had long been half used up, as she had to use a whole pot of kelp to stew her new soup

“…… It stinks of seaweed”

After adding some soy sauce, I sipped a hts Min-san’s expression clouded over, but it seery

“The taste of kelp seems more obstructive now Would it be better if we don’t add in dried mushrooms?”

“Is that so?”

“It feels less and less like soup for ramen Did the ones made by your father taste like this?”

I only realized , and could only sneak a peek at Min-san’s expression Her gaze was full of confusion, like a cheetah mistakenly kept in an elephant zoo It was the first time I saw her with an expression like that

“Actually I don’t really rehtly lonely set into fights whenever I meet my old man, so I didn’t eat his ramen often at all”

“It’s already nice that you can squabble with hi spoken to my dad at all”

“He dads with uy always acts impulsively! Once, he suddenly said that he felt like fishi+ng on a Saturday night, and then draggedto a beach at Chiba……”

“R…… Ran all along?”

“He’s an idiot who likes to work out!”

Min-san said while narrowing her eyes in nostalgia

“Why…… Now that I think back on it, maybe he just didn’t knohat to say to me? My mom died quite suddenly as well It just feels like…… he only started to be more oppressive when only the two of us were left”

Hearing those words, I suddenly realized that Min-san’s circumstances were quite sio, and e after that as well

“Even though he knew that I didn’t like it, he still forced me to follow him everywhere If it’s not a snowy mountain somewhere around, it would be a super faraway island”

“That’s probably because…… he was lonely, huh?”

When the words caentle smile

“Thatit out be fine!”

I thought that nobody was harder than frankly expressing our own troubles That was one of the facts that I learnt using a whole winter

“Actually goingall of a sudden as well…… Then why did he insist that I had to inherit the raht that it didn’t matter what I did!”

With her hands on the chopping block, Min-san lowered her head Did she still resent her father?

Or perhaps— she actually wants to see hiain?

My gaze fell on the large a in the pot His father’s soup— Min-san couldn’t inherit its taste

Perhaps because she realized hts, Min-san raised her head

“Enough about my old man, he’s irrelevant to this matter It’s just because the appraisals on his ramen’s taste wasn’t bad”

Min-san smiled faintly and poked my forehead

ThatIt was Alice

‘Co to confirm with you’

I looked at Min-san She said : “It’s fine, just go I’ away the stuff”

“I’ll go right away”

I answered After that, I put away my phone

“I’ve watched all of the recordings and noticed so peculiar”

On the bed in the detective agency, Alice toldon the keyboard

“Regarding the strange person with shades that we mentioned before this, he did indeed come to the shop last Thursday and Monday the week before, correct?”

“Yep”

Alice turned over and pointed at the six ed on the floor by the bed

“But the surveillance camera did not capture such a person at all Did you s one day before and after as well”

“…… Eh? Why’s that?”

“That’s what I want to ask you! Fros, I lifted the features of thethem”

Alice waved at h I was so her side One of the monitors displayed a full screen of portraits

“These are the custo It is possible that the person put on his sunglasses only after he entered the shop”

I repeatedly looked through the portraits of the tens of people for about half an hour As they were i the cah as well, so it was quite hard to identify anyone

“…… I don’t see that person”

“Is that so? Fine, I shall trust your eyes and ears for now After all, you barely have any other strengths Your good eyesight and hearing ifts from God to you”

Oh, shut up

“However, there is so that I am puzzled about”

“Didn’t you say that there aren’t any surveillance ca the interior of the shop? Besides, that person could avoid the other surveillance ca”

“Although it is not impossible, people who can do so must clearly know the positions of the six surveillance ca the installation of the ca Basically, it is not likely for outsiders to know of this”

But…… It’s possible that he just wasn’t filh hts, and she spoke:

“I shall consider the possibility I just feel that this matter is not like a si Currently, I can only ask Hiro and Tetsu to help keep an eye open, and ask Major to strengthen the security measures The lock of the front door was just an ordinary spring lock, so it will be easy to pry it open if one wishes to do so”

“But Major said that there weren’t any signs of it being pried open after he checked it out Does any other people have keys to Min-san’s house?”

“I have a spare key on me over here, and Master should have two there instead Why are you looking atso the spare key from me?”

“No…… Not really, I’ of the possibility……”

“Please do not look down on the security syste Persephone back fro the spare keys away fro out her flat chests triu the lock will be more appropriate Didn’t Major say that he could do that already?”

“That’s true……” I thought back on Min-san’s odd reaction that tie the lock”

Alice’s eyes coe eyes widened even more

“…… I see…… So that’s why I understand now”

Alice nodded by herself, as though she just realized so

“So that’s why things are like this…… The door was open in the first place The surveillance cae to film him as well So that’s why…… Hmm……”

“…… What is is? Did you think of so?”

“Yes, I have understood everything”

The detective proclaimed thus directly I was dazed, and could only stare at the side of the doll-like face

Understood…… everything?

“What…… happened?”

“Just that The features of the case have surfaced more or less, oh……”

Seeing that I was about to open er on my lips I was shocked, and reflexively sed e step back

“Do not ask now I have once said, the NEET Detective can grasp the truth even when she is on this bed, but that is the truth, but not the facts”

“But—“

“And there is another thing Unfortunately, the truth that I have just obtained is co her would cause her to scold you as well Hoho…… Facing the people happily living below the sunlight, the er of the dead is helpless to the extent of despair, because we can only dig out words that were lost”

Alice’s gaze moved away from my face

The helplessness of facing the world

The shadow of fate in Alice’s heart— I once got a gli my previous cases as well But she didn’t need to be so self-berating even with such a small ht

She extended her s at blank air while :

“That is why…… You ain reaffire I have to step out of this castle, touching this world with h questions and the answers of the criminal”

After a long time, Alice finally turned around to face me

“This is a promise”

Those eyes looked wet because of the overflowing of tears

I stayed silent for sohtly held the hand that Alice extended

About eight that night, the man in shades appeared in Hanamaru Ramen for the fourth time

That afternoon, I played handball for two consecutive hours during PE period, and I rode my bike to a handicrafts shop to buy new cloth to be used as Min-san’s sarashi+ before my part time job started, so I was tired to half death when I returned to the shop It just had to be on this kind of day that there were a lot of custo outside ordered beer and fried dus one after another, so I didn’t notice for aon a temporary beer crate seat

“…… Ah, welcome”

It felt like uy in shades’ directly TheHe was stout as a bear, while his shoulders and chest were quite muscular as well

When I sent iced water to hi of e effort

“Sesame ramen!”

The h voice

Back in the kitchen, I signaled to Min-san, and she io

What kind of person was he?

After sending hi at him nonchalantly, but there were just too e to notice so much at all

I poked my head out of the backdoor to take a look at the area near the e on his cellphone, sitting on the gas tank by himself

“What is it?”

Hiro-san noticed aze form the liquid plasma screen I tried to tell him that the man in shades was in the shop with only my physical movements

Hiro-san glanced at the front of the shop from