Chapter One: Undercover Logic
A lone boy sat on the black bench, leaning against the backrest. My light blue eyes scanned the girls standing on the guardrail of the second floor.
Giggles erupted as they enjoyed the topic being discussed. Admiring their appearances, I found them more beautiful whenever they were smiling. Both of my hands were tucked inside my coat pockets. Using my finger, I gently pushed my hard rock shaft, adjusting the growing bulge in my crotch. Feeling a bit of relief, I sighed and averted my gaze from them.
From the outside, I might look like I wasn't prying, but using my peripheral vision, I watched them meticulously.
Girls are sharp, so to avoid detection, I fixed my gaze straight ahead and only watched through my peripheral vision. Even if they sensed they were being watched, they couldn't pinpoint it.
"It's about time…" I whispered to myself.
Swoosh!
The breeze kicked in, and my shoulder-length, soft, silky brown hair swung back and forth, as if a playful kid was tugging at it.
"The pressure this time should be enough for the wind to do the job," I said confidently. How was I so sure? After countless trials and errors, I could instinctively tell whether it would succeed or fail based on feeling alone.
My body tensed; I could feel my blood rushing faster as my heart kept pounding with anticipation. But I suppressed every feeling. The slightest distraction could ruin my hard work — failure was not an option.
After feeling the wind pressure, I began the countdown.
"5…"
"4…"
"3…"
"2…"
"1…"
"Now's my chance… SHARINGAN! "
A strong gust of wind blasted across the girls on the second-floor balcony.
My eyes snapped open, pupils shrinking with precise focus. It felt like a violently spinning Ferris wheel — acting as a lens that captured every moment, saving hundreds of photos per second.
"Kyahhh!"
I heard their startled cries, but I didn't waste energy processing their screams — I had priorities.
Science says the human brain can register visual input in about 0.013 seconds and react instinctively in 0.25 seconds. But to switch targets? It takes at least 0.45 seconds. It's impossible for a normal person to catch all the details. At best, they can see just one.
But I'm not normal.
Endless practice, even self-inflicted pain, honed my reflexes.
The wind subsided, but I couldn't relax yet. I crossed my arms and contemplated whether I had succeeded in absorbing the data. I went through every frame inside my head, silently noting the results.
"Pink, black, blue, stripes, polka dots… transparent…"
Jackpot. I smirked inwardly.
It was just underwear, maybe. But these weren't just any girls — they were the elite F-6 of our school: the Ice Queen, cheerful twins, a sadistic blonde, the gyaru, and the aloof loli.
I stored the memory for later. I'd use it in the comfort room to relieve my accumulated stress and savor every moment. The comfort room literally has a comfort room.
Mission accomplished.
I casually got up and cleaned the battlefield. It was necessary to avoid rumors spreading. After all, if there were rumors about me being a peeping tom, I wouldn't be able to peep anymore. Girls would avoid me if I had the same face as the guy reading this. I didn't want to become a plague. So, having "self-control" and "discipline" was important.
"Are you the one they call the detective? "
Without realizing it, I moved farther away. Suddenly, a voice sounded behind me. I stopped and glanced over my shoulder. A girl stood there — about my height, with long black hair, emerald eyes, and glasses. She was carrying something big.
Made me want to play around with it. I inwardly licked my lips.
Although her voice sounded panicked, she remained calm around me. "Yes. I'm Shin 'Ecchi' Kudo. And you are? " I asked while observing her.
Quite a studious type. For a student, she seemed decent. Other than her "big bazookas," I didn't see anything remarkable. I mean, those were definitely "B.I.G." for someone her age. Just seeing them was enough for me to consider her notorious. After all, who in the world would walk around carrying bazookas?
Is it even licensed?
Well, she's from the drama club. I doubted she needed one anyway.
She observed me silently, giving me a low-voiced evaluation before speaking.
"I heard you can solve any mystery. I'd like to hire you."
"Solve mysteries, huh? " I frowned. "That's just gossip. I solve cases thanks to sheer luck. I'm not Holmes."
"Regardless, I'd like to commission you."
I nodded. I didn't dismiss the idea immediately; I was at least willing to listen. "Alright. Follow me."
I led her to an unused classroom, perfect for quiet conversations. The spider resting peacefully on the ceiling fell as I opened the door. Perhaps as revenge, it crawled meticulously down her cleavage, spinning webs. Such a scene didn't miss my tainted eye.
She was completely oblivious, so I stopped paying attention. I had discovered this place during one of my school explorations, and now I was using it as a temporary office.
Taking her to a hotel would be ideal, but I was broke at the moment. Besides, I wasn't the kind of guy who takes his clients inside a hotel — not yet. Once I had enough money, everything would be chivalrous.
"Make yourself at home," I said, gesturing for her to sit on an empty seat as if I owned the place. Although there were spiderwebs, the room wasn't dirty — just good enough to use.
She sat down and relaxed a little; her two big bazookas rested on the armrest.
A little soft, I thought, removing my gaze. I sat down and clasped my hands on the podium, covering my mouth. I stared at her and asked, "So, what's the issue?"
We looked eye to eye. Feeling the tense shift in the atmosphere, she took a deep breath and reluctantly spoke.
"It's my underwear. It went missing from my locker."
"Underwear thief," I repeated, keeping my professional demeanor. "Classic case… However, this is considered sexual misconduct and can be legally classified as a criminal offense," I started. "Instead of talking to me, you should have filed a report with a teacher or called the police. But I assume you have your reasons for not doing so."
Her body tensed for a moment, but she suppressed it completely. Such a little reaction wouldn't escape me. I kept my gaze locked on her eyes.
"No," she said. "I can't trust them. Or anyone else, really. That's why I'm here."
"Not trusting anyone else, yet you're entrusting me with your troubles? " Sigh, women… "Your reasoning is too hard for me to comprehend," I muttered to myself. "Besides… things like this should be dealt with by the police. I'm not really a detective, just a wannabe, so I'm not going to deal with her shit." But just as I was about to decline—
Ding!
A translucent screen flickered before me.
A sudden quest? I muttered inwardly.
[NTR-System (Need To Respond or Ne-To-Re for short)]
[Quest]: Find the missing underwear!
[Description]:
A loner girl lost her underwear. And now she's feeling distressed. Find the missing underwear and punish the thief.
location of her panty is under…
[Reward]: +1 Intelligence
I stared blankly.
"Under… where? " I muttered. "Couldn't finish the sentence? "
This system was vague — I thought the developer must be an intern or something. They just deployed it without proper Q&A testing.
"No wonder it's full of bugs." Shaking my head, I turned back to her and sorted things out.
"According to her, she can't trust the teachers... Why? " I asked myself. "It's odd. All I have to do is figure out the reason. She's probably hinting that a teacher stole it or something. Or maybe it's something related to herself."
"Like me, maybe. She might be too prideful, considering dignity above her life. I'm at least known for confidentiality, so in her eyes, I'm trustworthy compared to teachers."
"But there's another issue: she's way too tight-lipped. If someone sexually assaulted her, she won't say anything; worst case, the offense might be repeated until she graduates or worse."
"Well, that's her issue."
Unless there's something in it for me, I'm not getting emotionally involved.
I pushed the analysis aside and focused on the task.
"I understand, so miss—"
"Shiina… Shiina Iori," she interrupted.
"Right, Miss Shiina. When did the goods get stolen? "
"Goods…? " Shiina frowned. Since when did her underwear become goods? She felt something was wrong but didn't dwell on it.
"Last week, during P.E., my classmate accidentally spilled water on my clothes. I brought a spare set, but when I returned, my locker had been opened. The underwear was gone."
I nodded slowly. She wasn't detail-oriented, but I could fill in the holes myself, so it wasn't a problem.
"Was there anyone else when you were changing? "
She shook her head. "No, I was alone."
"Hmmm…" I leaned back and gently rubbed my chin, deep in thought. "Her classmate was probably involved."
"I'm suspecting that one of your classmates likely stole it. Does anyone come to mind? Like someone who confessed recently or someone who keeps observing you? " I asked.
She pondered for a bit but reached no conclusion. She could only shake her head. "No…"
"I don't think she's lying, so she might be oblivious to it," I murmured.
"Okay, Miss Shiina. I accept your commission." Her eyes relaxed slightly after my acceptance, but my next words petrified her.
"Show me your underwear first."