Chapter 4

Chapter 2 The Lost Pages of Youth We solved the Yellow Panties of Happiness case, the weekend passed, and it was Monday. In the library after school, I had begun another investigation—not as a proxy detective, but for myself. A high school boy who happened to be present at various incidents in town and helped solve them. I skimmed through some newspapers—mostly local editions—and found a few people who seemed to fit the bill, but… “I guess he uses assumed names a lot… That’s annoying.” For example, “Boy K. Found a Lost Kitten Again!” or “The Super High Schooler Who Prevented Bank Transfer Fraud!” The headlines made it sound like he was the usual suspect, but his real name was never conclusively revealed. It was so frustrating to have an unsolvable mystery right in front of me. I wanted to solve it as quickly as possible. “Hmmm. I’ve just started researching, but maybe I’m not doing it right. Maybe I should look through some older newspapers or online articles. If there’s nothing in the school library, maybe I’ll try the public one…” “Nagisa, are you done researching?” I’d been cleaning up the newspapers, and Fuyuko had come to get me before I knew it. Haruru was with her, of course. “I see your drive to solve mysteries is as strong as ever. I’m glad you’re getting into the research, but it’s sad that you’re neglecting us.” “If you keep staying this late, the three of us won’t even be regulars in the go-home club anymore.” “Well, we’re definitely in the go-home club, but I don’t exactly want to be a regular… Hey, what does the go-home club even do at tournaments?” “This year, the tournament’s in Hakone. We’re having a New Year’s introvert rap battle!” “Right next to where they’re holding the university relay race?! And you’re going to have a bunch of people already scarred from their childhoods dissing each other?!” What happened to going straight home…? Well, whatever. “I was thinking of going home soon anyway. Wanna go somewhere today?” “Yeah! I’m going shopping with Fuyu! See you tomorrow, Nagi!” “You’re seriously planning to have fun tomorrow with the person you just casually brushed off?” For now, we (the actual three of us) decided to wander down the shopping street in front of the station. We looked at clothes we didn’t intend to buy and envied couples we passed. But sometimes, we just wasted money on silly little things, indulging in the little expenses of youth. It was so much fun. The three of us could never stop laughing when we were together. “Oh, right. Can we stop by the bookstore?” I suggested, and the two of them nodded slightly. “I get it. Today’s the day when that porn manga Nagisa loves to read goes on sale!” “Cut it out! Don’t say things that’ll ruin my image! I’ve never bought one of those!” “Meaning you’ve read them before?” “…Sh-shut up! I’m going through puberty, too—it’s fine!” “Oh, that’s rare. You’re not denying it. I’m not really interested in that stuff, though…sorry?” “Well, we market ourselves as pure, so unlike you, Nagi, we’ve never even touched anything like that.” “No, you’re nowhere near pure. You’re sludgy and tainted by dirty jokes and sexual harassment.” We entered a large bookstore near the station, and I headed straight for the novel I wanted. It was a slightly older light novel that I discovered thanks to social media. New volumes didn’t come out often due to the author’s schedule, but it was still a popular series that kept getting reprinted. “Huh……? Volume Three is missing.” “Of course it is. The first volume sells the most, so any bookstore will have it. But the middle volumes are rarely restocked.” “I know! You can read the continuation for free if you pay, but it’s really annoying when the next volume’s not on the shelf. I’m going to snap and become an anti.” “Whoa, you’re the type of fan who joins the dark side for really problematic reasons. They might have it in the school library, though… Wait, Haruru, your eyes are scaring me!” I had just told them how to read it for free in the real sense, though. “Nagiii! Think about how the author would feel if they got a fan letter that said, ‘I read your book in the library, but I didn’t buy it!’” “Is that the next level of those ‘tell me how the author’s feeling right now’ questions on a lit test?” “What if the teacher was a problematic fan? If I gave the wrong answer, my grades could take a hit.” The troublesome otaku pressured me and Fuyuko to buy two volumes at the register, and then we left the bookstore. Then we tried to drink some bubble tea, but the place Fuyuko liked was closed, so that was amended to banana juice. “I really wanted some bubble milk tea.” I let my true feelings slip as we sat together on a bench in front of the store, sipping a drink that wasn’t what I wanted most. “So get some. You don’t have to go all around town to get it; they have it at convenience stores now.” “I know, but I want to drink it together with everyone. It’s what I’ve always wanted…” I wound up sounding like I was pouting. The two of them put their hands on my head. “Nagisa’s so cute!” “Nagi’s so cute!” They gently petted my head in time with their words. “It’s strange that we’ve never had bubble tea together. Next time, the three of us will look for the best place and drink some. I promise.” “Nice! Leave it to me—I know lots of places! We’ll go to celebrate something! Like if something good happens! Heh-heh!” Fuyuko and Haruru had to be sick of bubble tea by now. I was really happy that they were willing to use their time for my sake. My friends were the best, for sure. “Th-then…I want to take a nice picture of the three of us in a row!” “A picture costs you extra. Three thousand yen a shot, on an acrylic board.” “Can I throw my bubble tea in the trash when we’re done taking pictures? Too many calories.” “My friends are the worst, actually!” It was the next day. I’d decided to look for the next volume of the light novel I’d bought in the school library. “Fuyuko, Haruru, want to go to the library together after this?” I said to them in the classroom after school, but they looked depressed somehow. “Sorry, Nagisa. Can you go by yourself?” “I’m sorry for you, but we don’t have time to go to the library. Sorry!” It stung a little. The two of them were usually the ones to suggest that we do something, not the ones turning down invitations from me. “Ha, ha-ha… I forget sometimes. The two of you were friends before you met me, so I must get in the way sometimes.” “That’s right… We can’t go with you now. ” “Because we’re…supposed to hang out with someone else after this.” I couldn’t help but look away. So there was someone else. The bonds between Autumnless were nowhere to be found—or so I thought, until I noticed what they were holding. “That’s the math homework you two didn’t do for some stupid reason, right? Don’t tell me you’re about to take a make-up class after this?” The two idiots deliberately turned away when I pointed it out. “No, Nagisa. That makes us sound stupid, don’t you think?” “Right! We’re just going to be playing the extra DLC together with Ms. Hachisu after this!” “Sure you are. I’m going ahead to the library, then. You can join me when you finish your fun game, okay?” I felt like an idiot for worrying. But I was a little relieved. “Just look at her, Haruru. Nagisa looks incredibly relieved. She’s so cute!” “That face you made when you thought we’d been NTR’d by another girl! I could eat three bowls of rice!” Ugh…they’d seen right through me again. My face was hot. For two people who were normally idiots, I wish they’d stop being so sharp when it came to me. “A-anyway, Ms. Hachisu seems pretty strict? I’m surprised she’d have a make-up class just for forgetting your homework. Ha, ha-ha.” “You suck at trying to change the subject, Nagisa. Well, just about every teacher besides Ms. Hachisu is watching me like a hawk, so I’m used to this.” “I don’t like Ms. Hachisu. She’s popular with the boys, but most girls say she’s impossible. She has a soft, ditzy vibe, but her classes are hard as heck!” Our homeroom teacher, Ms. Hachisu, was a young woman who’d just started in April. The math classes she taught were tough, but she spoke politely to the students, and her clothes were neat and tidy. She always smelled of sweet perfume, and she was a hit with the boys. “I definitely prefer Koyo when it comes to female teachers! Ms. Hachisu has a dark side for sure—like, despite her vibe, I bet she’s really thirsty for a man.” “Oh, yeah… Huh? H-Haruru? Don’t you think that’s going too far?” “Ha? She’s soft in the daytime but a sadist by night! Yep, I can imagine it. And in bed she’s… Aaaah?!” Sigh. I said she’d gone too far. Ms. Hachisu was standing behind Haruru, a threatening smile on her face. “Hello, Miss Agarie, Miss Shirahama. We’re going to have a fun make-up class today, right? Making that extra workbook really paid off. Heh-heh.” “Huh, wai—! I didn’t even say anything!” “You’re both responsible for your friend’s slip of the tongue. Well then, Miss Natsunagi, I’m borrowing these two.” Just like that, my two friends were dragged into the nearby multipurpose classroom, bracing for death. I felt bad for Fuyuko, who’d gotten caught up in it, but it was still kind of funny. “I’ll be fine by myself. I’ll find the book and read while I wait for them.” Strangely enough, I was the only one in the library today. Normally, there’d be a few students studying. “Strange things happen. Now, the light novel section is…over there.” I went to the shelf I wanted and found my book right away. I thought I’d check for the next volume while I was there, but when I looked at the shelf again… “Aw…there’s a missing one here, too?” Volume 3, which I needed next, was the only one missing. The rest of the series from Volume 4 onward was there, which really pissed me off! But it wasn’t just the series I picked up that had a problem. “Wait, it’s not just the light novels… The literary novels and other ones have gaps, too. I wonder why?” “Should I tell you why, Miss Cute Schoolgirl?” “Aieeeee?! Wh-wh-who are you?!” I really hadn’t noticed her approach at all. There were no footsteps or breaths to alert me. The girl had appeared behind me before I knew it. She was in high school and had pitch-black hair, a distinctive white headband, and frameless glasses that gave her an intellectual air, like the perfect-student-librarian type. “I must have startled you. My name is Yomiko Naoki, a second-year student. As you can see, I’m a student librarian.” “Oh, don’t tell me your appearance is meant to reflect your character…?” “That’s right. I was born into a family of logophiles; my father was a novelist, and my mother worked at a publishing company. So I thought a job related to books would be my calling. I am a good daughter, aren’t I?” “You even have the word for reading in your name, so it definitely fits. I don’t know if you’re a good daughter or not, though.” “But I really wanted to be in a band. I wanted to stand on the gym stage at the school festival—wear showy clothes while singing anti-establishment songs and shouting about inequality…” “Y-you’re full of regrets! Not to mention, those are some pretty crazy dreams! But it’s not too late to change the way you’re living!” “It’s fine. I’m already dead, so…” “Your individuality is, for sure. But your name and appearance are just what someone would imagine for a student librarian, so in that sense, maybe you do have some individuality after all.” Oops. I’d made a quip only three seconds after meeting her. Probably because she reminded me so much of my two idiot friends. “Right. I should’ve said it earlier, but I’m Nagisa Natsunagi. I’m a third-year.” “Nice to meet you. So what were you looking for?” “You’re really casual for an underclassman. Well, that’s fine… I was looking for a novel. The next one in this series.” When I showed her the book I was holding, Yomiko tilted her head vaguely. “Hmmm?” “I’m not as worried about not finding the book I want—I’m more worried about how many novels are missing.” “It seems that way. I’ve been a student librarian for a while, and it’s been like this.” “Is someone pulling a prank? Or is there a reason behind it?” “You’re just like a detective, worrying about something like that. Curiosity killed the cat. Like when Sherlock Holmes was taken out by the mafia for knowing too much about the underworld…right?” “Huh? Wasn’t Holmes dragged over a waterfall by his archnemesis, Professor Moriarty? Not to mention he came back to life afterward?” “I didn’t know that. I despise mystery novels.” “Poor Holmes, having his death made up by some know-it-all woman. Are you sure you’re a student librarian?” “You doubt me, even with my appearance and glasses? You’re so suspicious of everyone. That’s just like a detective. Curiosity killed the cat. Like when Sherlock Holmes laid down his life fighting his archnemesis.” “You’re way too quick at processing info and updating your catchphrases!” The only things that made me believe she was a librarian were her appearance and glasses. But I was more interested in the missing books. “It’s fine if you don’t know why the novels are gone.” “I do know. Or rather, I could say I don’t know.” I thought she was joking again. “Follow me. I’ll show you the stacks, Natsunagi.” The self-proclaimed librarian said that with such confidence that I couldn’t help but want to follow her. We went behind the library counter and into the room beyond it. “Wow. I didn’t know the stacks were back here.” “It’s very small compared to the stacks in a real library. This is where we keep books that are going to be disposed of or books that haven’t had their circulation barcode added yet,” Yomiko said. She moved to a nearby shelf and motioned for me to join her. Curious, I stepped closer and saw rows of several novels. “Oh…! This is the volume three I was looking for!” And that wasn’t all. The missing volumes from the other series I’d found before were also there. “But why aren’t these in circulation?” “The books here are banned for a variety of reasons. Take this one.” Yomiko picked up the book I’d been trying to find. “What do you think of the illustrations in this light novel?” Looking at the page she’d opened to, I saw the illustrations were a little risqué. “It’s a girl with big boobs crying after something naughty happened to her, but it looks like something a teen boy would enjoy?” “That’s right. It’s a little naughty, in my opinion, but a nice illustration. That’s the reason.” Yomiko picked up a different book with a small sigh. “This is a normal mystery novel, but the synopsis is disturbing. It reads like a high school boy is committing the crimes. Most of the other books are here for similar reasons.” “So you’re saying they were moved here because the contents and illustrations were deemed inappropriate?” “Exactly. The student council president at the time was very fastidious. He raised the topic himself at a student assembly and then had them shelved here with almost no input from anyone else.” When I looked closely, there was a large black stamp on the back cover and edges that read DISCARDED. The barcode for lending and the cellophane on them appeared to have been torn off. “Isn’t it stupid? There’s no story that can dictate a person’s thoughts or actions. The books here are just a small part. Many of them have been destroyed.” “That’s horrible. Couldn’t the student librarians stand up to him?” “From what I heard, they fought back at the next assembly and got the school to purchase twice the number of books discarded. It’s a legend passed down at this school—the First Library War.” “There’s suddenly a school legend I’ve never heard of?!” “In the Second War, the student librarians found some dirt on the student council president and finally got him to resign.” “It keeps getting more vicious!” But when I looked at Yomiko’s face, it didn’t seem like a lie or a joke. To be honest, I was more interested in this than the next part of my series. Maybe next time, I’d go read the student assembly records. “Huh? Hang on, Yomiko. Now that I’m looking, these books all have torn pages inside.” As I flipped through them, I suddenly realized they each had a page damaged. One book even had its cover torn. “Is this the reason why these weren’t in circulation?” “That could be considered both correct and incorrect. The real reason is that the pages were torn out after these books had already been marked for disposal.” “Huh? Why would someone do that?” “Well, now. Can you figure out why all the books marked for disposal have exactly one page torn out?” I turned over the books again and compared each one. But the books and their pages had nothing in common at all. “Was it just a prank?” “That could be considered both correct and incorrect. Right, Miss Cute Detective?” Smiling, Yomiko gazed straight into my eyes. I almost found myself entranced by the fragile aura around her. But that feeling disappeared with her next words: “Can you solve this mystery? I’d say it’s nearly impossible. I mean, no one’s figured it out yet. It’s a very difficult one.” She was provoking me. It was so obvious, not even a child would fall for it. But my heart was already ablaze for reasons I couldn’t explain at the words mystery and detective. “Fine, I’ll do it. But I’m not a detective. That could be considered both correct and incorrect. I’m a proxy detective, Yomiko.” A determination to solve the mystery was born within me. “Heh-heh. How lovely, Natsunagi. But if you’re going to imitate my catchphrase, I’d like you to do it with a bit more style.” “…I agree with you there!” That was how I found myself facing a new mystery. “Another woman stole Nagisa away.” After being presented with the mystery by Yomiko and leaving the library, I met back up with the idiots who’d finished their make-up classes, and we took a break at the vending machine corner. “I wasn’t stolen away… Did the math make you even dumber?” “No, this is textbook NTR! While we were out, you invited some girl called Yomiko over and had a flirty chat! That’s definitely cheating!” “I—I don’t know if it was exactly a flirty chat?” “We’ll find that out right now! Right, Haruru?” “Got it!” Fuyuko circled behind me in an instant and pinned me to the back of the bench so I couldn’t get away. “Wh-what do you think you’re doing…? Don’t tell me you’re planning to humiliate me and make me confess to everything? I’ll never surrender!” “Hmm. That’s a wild fantasy. I’m shocked at your masochistic streak.” “Well, you’re right that we’re going to mess with you, though.” Right after that, Haruru leaned in close to my neck and— “N-nnn…!” A sweet sensation hit me, like a mild electric current coursing through my body. It tickled and was a little warm, but it felt just a teensy bit good. So this was a kiss. Haruru had kissed the back of my neck. “You’re so cute, Nagi. Can I do it again…one more time?” She let out a dreamy sigh. I couldn’t summon much resistance. It was like I was hungry for what came next. “Uh…ah…but we’re both girls.” “Ohh? You don’t seem to hate it, though. Deep down, you’re a bad girl who wants more… I’ll seal your lips this time.” “Um? Can you two stop being in your own world and ignoring me? Or at least let me join in! You’re torturing me here!” I was brought back to reality thanks to Fuyuko shouting behind me. Th-that was close… The whole “I’ll never surrender” thing was an act, frankly, and Haruru’s face was so beautiful that I’d nearly lost myself. “Stay out of this, Fuyu. A guy caught between two girls in a yuri situation can’t complain, even if he dies.” “I’m not a guy, though! I may be a tomboy and a prince character, but that doesn’t mean I’m actually one! More importantly, was Nagisa telling the truth?” Fuyuko’s words finally made me understand the meaning behind their actions. “You guys suck for using Haruru as a lie detector!” “Ha-ha! I can see through any lie by tasting just a little bit of your sweat! And the result was that you’re totally guilty! Tasted like anxiety. It was sooo bitter.”