Romantic Troubles of Duanmu-kun

“What have you been doing staying here all this time?”

“For the past three days, I’ve been investigating heinous crimes that occurred in this country in the past. To find the key that will decide our victory.”

Asami Yuko took the heavy files from atop her head, placed them aside, and answered softly.

“I see. The past incidents… are they related to the recent suicide wave?”

The girl nodded.

The atmosphere between the two sitting on the floor fell into silence for a moment.

“Say, Senpai… What’s really troubling you? Is it that there’s a new victim, or that people continue to die even after you made your declaration?”

The Novelist cut straight to the point.

During these three days, Senpai had been deeply affected by the girl who committed suicide by jumping. Honestly, even now, regardless of which reason it might be, he didn’t know how to console her.

Perhaps it couldn’t be done at all! Because certain things in life ultimately need to be faced alone.

As her assistant, what he could do—besides staying by Senpai’s side as Class Rep had suggested—was only to express his feelings honestly.

Asami Yuko blinked. Her clear, glass-like pupils rolled around in their sockets, seemingly surprised by this sharp, unfiltered question.

“…When I was very young.”

Who knows how much time had passed.

She was the first to break the oppressive silence.

Senpai lowered her head and began to speak slowly in a deep tone.

“When I was little, I actually hated detectives. The famous detectives on TV, the great detectives in books… I disliked them all, and never imagined I would one day become one of them.”

“…Why?”

“Because by the time the protagonist appears, everything is already too late, isn’t it? The famous detective only shows up after there’s a tragic victim. Especially in serial murder cases, they often only solve the mystery and catch the culprit after the last target is killed… but what meaning does that have? The tragedy has already happened, irreversibly. The victims are already dead. They can never come back to life.”

“In the end, ‘the case was never resolved.’ The sorrow and pain left behind for the survivors won’t disappear just because the culprit is caught or killed; ‘no one can be saved’—in this process, whether it’s the culprit, the survivors, or the victims, no one finds redemption.”

Her long hair fell down, hiding her face, making it impossible to see her expression.

“So-called ‘famous detectives’ are the most powerless protagonists in the stories that exist in this world. Do you understand, Assistant-kun? They actually can’t accomplish anything. It’s so strange—is there really any need for such protagonists to exist?”

The Novelist remained silent.

The feelings of a culprit who challenges a detective… no, rather a detective who issues a declaration to a culprit—only the person themselves could understand such feelings.

“But.”

She said.

“But…”

She repeated through gritted teeth.

“But still…”

The slender girl’s body was trembling continuously.

Asami Yuko crossed her arms over her chest. Head bowed, she gripped her shoulders tightly, as if desperately trying to hide her distress.

“I… I am…”

The girl’s voice was hoarse.

“Now I’ve become a failure who can’t even become that kind of protagonist…”

For a moment, the Novelist thought Senpai would collapse into his arms, sobbing—perhaps that wouldn’t have been so bad, but Asami Yuko struggled to maintain her composure.

Her words paused for more than ten seconds. After barely regaining her outward calm, Asami Yuko put her hands back, tucking them into her sleeves.

“…Actually, I’ve been hesitating all this time. Because even just as a detective, I could still accomplish many things. And once I choose to move forward, there might be no turning back. I don’t want… or rather, I’m afraid of becoming like that…”

She twitched her nostrils, speaking haltingly.

“But now I’m very clear. Being like before isn’t enough, far from enough. Just like this time, things I could have accomplished were easily obstructed.”

“I need to control the official narrative. I need everyone to believe me. I need every word I say to become the truth—”

The girl took a deep breath.

“I need to become someone more ‘correct’ than anyone else, just like my grandfather.”

“…So, I’ve decided.”

Asami Yuko raised her face, revealing her pitch-black pupils.

When their eyes met, he once again saw the burning flame within—intimidated by this intensity, the Novelist unconsciously held his breath.

“I will become… a true famous detective.”

“Will you help me, Assistant-kun?”

Hearing this invitation, the Novelist’s expression became somewhat subtle. Even though he had been planning to try various lines to comfort her… in the end, Senpai had only shown him a moment of vulnerability before immediately regaining her spirit. Moreover, she had already made a major life decision on her own.

It seemed that all the girls he met had enough resilience to pick themselves up independently, along with their own determination. Their moments of vulnerability were fleeting, offering no opportunity to step in. Although he was glad about this, occasionally it did create unnecessary feelings of disappointment… but let’s set that aside for now!

“…But what exactly should I do to help you?”

“Of course, first we need unified official statements and publicity campaigns. For instance, this case can be well utilized…”

Asami Yuko hesitated at this point.

“However, the prerequisite to becoming a famous detective is actually maintaining absolute correctness. No matter how difficult the criminal or how perplexing the case, the truth will ultimately be found and the culprit brought to justice.”

“Eh… that alone is very difficult…”

Reality wasn’t a novel, after all.

A person who is always correct doesn’t exist; yet, as a famous detective, even a single failure would greatly impact one’s image in people’s minds.

Unfortunately, this was an inherently irreconcilable contradiction.

“There’s no help for it, because one can only legitimately gain power that influences other aspects after becoming a famous detective.”

The prerequisite itself was a major problem.

But…

“But you know, there’s actually a trick to this.”

The Novelist’s attitude was completely serious.

When he spoke, he was prepared for a fierce counterattack.

“Although I can’t guarantee that you’ll always find the truth, if something unexpected happens that might affect the famous detective’s image… at the very least, I’ll help you handle the relevant informed parties.”

It didn’t matter even if that meant resorting to unconscionable threats afterward.

Asami-senpai was stunned for a moment.

She should understand the hidden meaning in these words, the Novelist thought. So how would Detective-san respond? Would she firmly refuse, or feel angry or disappointed?

Then, he saw a brilliant smile appearing on Asami Yuko’s face.

“As expected of Assistant-kun, so reliable.”

The girl smiled happily.

…Huh, what?

Asami-senpai’s reaction greatly exceeded his expectations.

However, she clearly had no intention of acknowledging someone’s surprise. After saying these words, Asami Yuko’s willpower seemed to have reached its limit.

The girl yawned, her eyelids slowly closing, her body beginning to sway.

“Well then, I’ll be counting on Assistant-kun from now on… but for now, let me rest a bit… After I wake up, we’ll put an end to everything.”

As she spoke, her voice grew increasingly faint. Until finally, without warning, Asami Yuko toppled sideways, her head colliding with a nearby metal frame, making a “thunk” sound.

“Hey, wait a second, don’t rush to sleep!”

Seriously, are you going to replicate what happened when we first met?!

“Mmm… zzz…”

Leaning against the cabinet, the girl quickly sank into sweet dreams, snoring loudly.

“That was too fast!”

The Novelist sighed, and had no choice but to take off his jacket and cover Asami-senpai with it to prevent her from catching cold.

At this moment, his gaze fell on the heavy file that had slipped from Asami Yuko’s hand.

The Novelist hesitated for a few seconds, then reached for that document.

After opening it, his fingers stopped. Because the incident recorded on it was titled—

“The Kurayama Psychiatric Hospital Mass Suicide Incident in North Kyushu.”