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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Plan
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"You all, be careful. There's been talk that someone might have broken into a dorm room last night."
"Ugh, that's creepy."
"Oh, that's you. You're the one who startled me with your face. Go apologize, quick."
"It must have been you who got startled, not me."
The students' laughter and chatter could be heard, but Shiu and Amelia didn't hear it.
Because they had just heard something unbelievable.
They stared at each other, their faces dumbfounded.
...What?
An intruder, you say?
"Given the method, they suspect it's the same criminal we talked about yesterday. Everyone, be careful. They'll be caught within a few days."
"Yes."
Shiu's expression grew complicated.
He turned his gaze towards Arte, and as expected, she was looking at Shiu, smiling sweetly.
I'll have to hear about this 'plan' after class.
The incident was unfolding in a different direction than he had expected.
"Wow, this is already the second incident! I'll have to investigate this thoroughly with a detective's eye!"
"Detective!"
At the word 'detective,' Amelia's eyes sparkled brightly.
Why on earth does she like it so much?
Arte, who's right in front of you, is an enemy, you said. You're the one who said that.
"What is this 'plan'?"
"It's not that difficult. You haven't forgotten the club we joined, have you?"
"Ah. The Exploration Club."
At Amelia's words, Arte nodded.
Arte smiled sweetly, then reminded us of a fact we hadn't considered.
"Yes, exploration. There are people who can go to places no one has been, and see things no one can see, right?"
"...The club president."
"You know well."
That's strange.
Amelia and I naturally assumed Arte had reported it.
But was that not the case?
Is there any reason for her to help us this much?
Doubt crept in.
...Should I test her a little?
Even if I fail, I won't die.
Judging by Arte's actions so far, I won't die.
I won't die... I won't die...
...Right?
Alright, just a deep breath.
Okay.
"Hey, Arte."
"Yes?"
"Actually, I'm the culprit."
"?!"
Ignoring Amelia, who was aghast at what he was doing, he looked at Arte.
Now, what kind of reaction would she show?
His heart began to pound.
Ever since entering the academy, it felt as if his heart had been overworked.
Should I take some heart medicine?
Arte's reaction to his sudden confession was more intense than expected.
"Pfft."
As if she'd heard a hilarious joke, she started laughing for a long time.
"Hahaha. Shi, Shiu is the culprit. Pfft. That was a funny joke!"
...It worked.
He thought it was a fifty-fifty gamble, but it worked.
Arte didn't know anything.
Amelia's expression brightened as she realized that fact.
"H-hey, Arte."
"Yes?"
"By any chance, have you heard the victim's name?"
"Hmm, I don't know. It's probably one of the female students. I'm not sure."
She really didn't know.
Amelia and I confirmed that fact, then let out a sigh of relief.
"...? Anyway, we're meeting in the club room after school, okay? Got it?"
"Uh-huh. Got it."
"Then, I'll head to class first. Take your time coming."
Only after Arte's figure disappeared into the distance could Amelia and he fully enjoy their joy.
"We weren't caught! We weren't caught!"
"Th-that's right...! We're saved!"
Perhaps it was because they realized the victim was unaware of the situation, despite them potentially going to jail.
An extremely excited Amelia declared.
"Even if we get caught later, we'll pin it on that bastard!"
"...Right! Let's do it!"
"When we catch him, if he tries to argue, it'll be a big problem, so aim for his mouth to keep him from speaking! Got it?!"
Normally, it would have been the moment to admire Amelia's words and think, 'She's truly out of her mind.'
But Shiu didn't object to Amelia's words.
...For once, he genuinely empathized with Amelia.
Rifling through Arte's underwear.
He was truly an evil bastard!
I'll definitely send him to jail.
Shiu vowed that.
***
"Hmm? You want to know the location of the hidden villain?"
"Yes. Since you're the president of the Exploration Club, I thought you might know something."
"S-suddenly? Well, well! I am pretty amazing! Of course, I know!"
"Hehehe," the president chuckled light-heartedly.
...He kind of resembles the Author, too.
That childish tendency to get so happy with just a little praise.
"But the teachers will be looking for him, so why are you two doing something so dangerous?"
"Well, it's for the development of our club, of course. Finding a villain no one else could find and apprehending them! ...Wouldn't that be a perfect achievement for an Exploration Club?"
"!"
In an instant, the president's enthusiasm surged.
Easy.
[Hmm, a chameleon beast-man... Where should I place him to make the novel interesting...? Ugh.]
The Author, who would normally be noisy, had somehow become quiet.
Still pondering, I see.
What's so difficult about it?
He said, "I don't know where to make the chameleon beast-man appear~," and then went into deep thought by himself.
...Hmm, there are people here, so I can't voice my thoughts.
Ah.
A good idea struck me.
"Hmm, no matter how I think about it, a villain who breaks into dorms and even rummages through female students' underwear must have impure intentions."
"I think so too! He's definitely a pervert...!"
[Impure intentions? A pervert...?]
Good, he took the bait.
If I can't tell him directly, then I'll just suggest plausible settings under the guise of deduction.
The Author began to take an interest in the conversation between me and the president.
Should I drop more hints...!
"If he can't be seen even with this many people around, he probably has some kind of stealth ability."
"Th-that's right, isn't it?"
"If a pervert is stealthily moving around everywhere..."
"Ah! The f-female restrooms or changing rooms are highly likely!"
[...! Th-this is it!]
Well, actually, whether that villain is a pervert or not doesn't concern me.
He might just be a normal villain, a Übermensch with stealth abilities.
But what if the Author changes the setting?
"I thought so, but it's hard to find a way to expose his stealth. Is there any good method?"
"U-um..."
[This looks interesting! A perverted chameleon beast-man lusting after the heroines' naked bodies, and the enraged protagonist cutting him down with one stroke! And 'Oh my, that man is so cool!' ...This will work!]
Good.
I've piqued the Author's interest!
The betrayal of a peer he trusted as a comrade.
From the very first day of admission, some monster attacked the academy.
I was starting to get a little worried about Shiu's mental state, having gone through all sorts of incidents since the early days of his academy admission.
You know, those kinds of protagonists.
The protagonist who trembles after killing someone.
The protagonist whose mental state suddenly breaks down as minor incidents pile up.
Some say that's normal, and anyone who kills someone and remains unaffected is nothing short of a psychopath.
But in recent webnovel developments, if things proceed like that, there are talks of it being 'frustrating' or 'too much of a struggle'.
'I'm dropping this. Author, go load and unload trucks instead.'
...What if our Author hears something like that?
Horrible. I don't even want to think about it.
I can't imagine what kind of rampage he'd go on.
So, Shiu's mind must not be broken or anything like that.
The Author glossing over the development can only happen so many times.
It's hard to fix a broken mental state, so I need to handle it gently from the start to prevent it from breaking.
"Ah, I have one."
"What is it?"
"This is a mana detector that senses mana in the surroundings. Our seniors made it a while ago to find hidden secret passages and such."
[Hmph, hmph. I've grown...! Creating a setting like this is a piece of cake...!]
I was amazed by the Author's incredible speed.
He's certainly quick to act.
He cooked up a setting in that short time?
It hasn't even been a minute, yet he's already thrown in a detector as a way to expose stealth.
I almost shed tears at the Author's growth.
He can do it!
As expected, our kid does well when he puts his mind to it.
"Then, if we approach the culprit's location with that...!"
"Yes, we can find him easily!"
Amelia and Shiu were visibly excited.
Yes, it seems you two are happy that you can catch the villain with your own hands.
As expected of the protagonist and heroine, I suppose.
"Hmm, but how do we find him?"
"That's easy! After swimming class, we just catch the culprit who came to peep!"
"But if we go to swimming class carrying weapons, everyone will find it suspicious."
"...Ugh!"
I could catch him by using my threads, but I didn't bother to mention that.
Because I need to involve the protagonist.
"Shiu will have no choice but to resolve it!"
"M-me?!"
"Yes. Shiu, who ambushes the culprit found with the detector, cutting him down with one stroke! ...Isn't that cool?"
"B-but I..."
Oh.
Shiu, who was about to object to something, suddenly fell silent.
...What? Wasn't he going to say something like, 'I'm a guy, so I can't enter the girls' changing room'?
Well, good.
If he doesn't object, then that's fine too.
It was actually more convenient since there was no need to persuade him.
"Then let's do that! President, can we borrow this detector for a moment?"
"Of course! Take it to your heart's content! This Exploration Club's special detector! ...It's an Exploration Club specialty!"
"Yes. We know."
They mostly ignored the president's words, who repeatedly insisted it was made by the club, attempting to elevate its prestige.
Good, this should be enough.
If I show him Amelia's fanservice scene, wouldn't his mental state be somewhat maintained?
Boys that age tend to lose all extraneous thoughts when they see a pretty woman's undressed body.
I know well, having experienced it myself.
I don't know if it can truly alleviate the shock of his first kill, but it's better than nothing, isn't it?
Besides, Amelia is the heroine, after all.
Won't she comfort him well?
It'll probably be a bit better if he's embraced by the soft chest of the heroine.
He should remain unaffected even after killing someone.
Please, let him be someone who doesn't mind trivial things.