It was hard for me to fully assess the plan that Sotoin elaborated for us because he spoke at such a lightning clip, but it seemed surprisingly well calculated─not that Sotoin calculates anything (after all, only his eye is trained, not his mind), but it was definitely true that we could achieve a great deal by putting the Reasonable Doubt Casino out of business.
We’d be depriving the guests of their night spot and the staff of their jobs, but we’d be protecting them at the same time─and we’d also be achieving our councilman’s goal of taking preventive measures to protect the students of Yubiwa Academy.
It was too much to hope that we could totally sever the ties between Fudatsuki and the Twenties, which is to say his ties with the military contractor, but their dealings would probably take time to re-establish if we busted them up for the moment─and if we did so as invited guests of the casino, we’d be playing by their rules, even if those rules were illegal. Which is to say, there shouldn’t be any lingering resentment that would come back to bite us.
And we had the means to do it, even if I wasn’t wild about what they were.
With my eyesight, we’d be able to take care of the kuroko─which meant that breaking Fudatsuki’s winning streak was more than an empty fantasy.
This was about as good as it could get for a plan thrown together without any forethought─but to implement it, we had to clear a number of hurdles.
Sotoin appeared bent on returning this very night to the Reasonable Doubt Casino… Which is to say, Kamikazari Middle School Gymnasium #2, but wouldn’t that be kind of tricky?
I mean, we kind of stood out─after all, one of our party had been up on the stage only a few hours earlier.
If we showed up that very same night after having been thrown out in front of everyone, we were guaranteed to raise suspicions.
Not to mention the fact that Fudatsuki had referred to us as the members of the Pretty Boy Detective Club as he was seeing us out─although I guess it wasn’t surprising that the student council president of Kamikazari Middle had done a bit of research about his putative rival school.
Setting aside whether he knew about the newbie (me), we should probably assume that he’d recognized the other five from the start─and actually, it was quite possible he’d dropped that wad of cash in front of me precisely because he knew I was the newest member of the Pretty Boy Detective Club.
It was as though he’d targeted us first when he set out to expand his territory because we were most likely to get in his way─maybe I was being paranoid, but with a plot this tangled, it seemed entirely possible.
Wrapping up the whole affair before the casino closed that night seemed tough, but this was urgent─we definitely couldn’t sit around waiting until it opened again a whole week later.
Nor could I imagine things cooling down if we did.
Another big problem was that we didn’t have enough invitations─I’d only received a tenth of the original sum Fudatsuki dropped, which came to a hundred thousand yen.
Ten ten-thousand-yen bills, each with one invitation tucked inside─and we’d already used six of them.
That left four invitations.
In other words, we were two invitations short.
“I guess two of us could stay here…?” I timidly proposed.
Although I probably couldn’t be one of those two, since Sotoin’s plan relied on my eyesight.
That was my thought, but…
“I’m distressed that you would say such a thing, young Dojima,” the leader chided. “Have you forgotten the fourth rule of the Pretty Boy Detective Club?”
The fourth rule─Be a team.
I hadn’t forgotten, but now I realized that even though all the members were so freewheeling and independent, they apparently placed a lot of value on sticking together.
“B-But there just aren’t enough invitations…”
“Fear not. I have an excellent plan.”
The leader turned to the Pretty Boy Detective Club’s resident artist.
“Sosaku. I’ll be needing you.”
As the child genius nodded silently, the nature of Sotoin’s plan dawned on me─since copying the masters was the cornerstone of artistic skill, reproducing a couple of casino invitations would probably be child’s play for someone like Sosaku Yubiwa.
Sotoin must want him to make two extras so that everybody had one─at least, that was my best guess.
I should have known that any excellent plan based on his excellent aesthetic wouldn’t be nearly so logical.
✦ ✦ ✦
Fudatsuki’s evil scheme had started with counterfeit bills, so I figured we would repay him by making counterfeit invitations, but Sotoin’s plan was focused on the part of his evil scheme that involved the invisible kuroko─and we would repay him by becoming as invisible as the kuroko ourselves, and infiltrating the casino that way.
This explanation has probably left my readers quite confused, and indeed, I was quite confused myself, but perhaps thanks to his silent connection with Sotoin, the child genius sprang immediately into action─and while his face was blank, I suppose his heart may have been brimming with enthusiasm to carry out the leader’s order.
I, however, was still in the dark.
“I see. In other words, you intend for us to melt into the scenery─in which case, we won’t even need four invitations, let alone six.”
It was only thanks to Sakiguchi’s explanation (translation) that my dull mind finally grasped the whole plan.
“The staff entrance was around back,” added the delinquent, who apparently had scoped out the layout on our last visit─although I’m not sure if he did so because he’s thorough, or because he was considering possible escape routes after losing all his cash.
“The staff entrance? Huh? What do you mean?”
Mr. Bare-Legs seemed to be the only one who still didn’t get it─which made sense, since I suppose he alone had some unresolved issues on the table.
The staff entrance.
In other words, Sotoin’s plan wasn’t for us to sneak into the Reasonable Doubt as guests, but to disguise ourselves as staff─after all, the art of disguise is a fundamental skill for detectives.
Be a detective.
The third rule of the Pretty Boy Detective Club.
We’d just fled the place in disgrace, and everyone knew our faces. We could go back in disguise, but even if we somehow fabricated two more invitations, if we went as guests the staff would probably be watching us like hawks.
And if they saw through our disguises, maneuvering would be that much harder─but if we went in as staff, well, that wasn’t just a bold plan, it would hit them right in their blind spot.
We’d naturally be able to blend in, and as long as the other staff didn’t recognize us, they wouldn’t have their guard up─which meant we’d be free to carry out our sleuthing unhampered.
Plus, we wouldn’t need invitations.
Well, it was true that we wouldn’t need four, but we would need one. Even if five of us played back-up as staff members, someone had to face off with the maestro on stage.
The question was, who would it be─
“Ahem. I suppose it must be me.”
The leader stepped forward.
…Part of me felt like this was insanely risky, but it also seemed like it might be our only option.
Sakiguchi had already been on stage, so he was out, and the delinquent specialized in losing, so he wouldn’t do either─I could just imagine Michiru the Epicure being eaten alive.
Mr. Bare-Legs seemed more suited to physical activity and fooling around than an onstage showdown.
What about me, then? Well, I didn’t even know the rules of the games, which meant I’d be more use assisting as “Mayumi the Seer.”
The child genius seemed like he’d be able to apply his genius to gambling, but he and I couldn’t communicate, which would render my assistance useless.
Which left Sotoin.
The leader himself would lead the attack.
Of course, he’d have to wear a disguise since they already knew his face.
“Very true, young Dojima. Indeed, since all eyes will be on me, including those of the overseer sitting directly across from me, I’ll probably need the most carefully constructed costume of all─hmm. Yes, that appears to be my only choice.”
What does?
I found out soon enough.
And then we set off for Kamikazari Middle School once more.