「Mika, have you seen Takai-san?」

As I was getting ready to leave in the classroom, Marika asked me as she scurried around.

「Yumi? Is she not in the library like usual?」

「I just went to the library and Tōyama said she hasn’t been in yet today.」

「It looks like Yumi’s stuff is still on her desk… I don’t think she’s home yet. Aren’t she’s going to the bathroom or something?」

I replied, looking across at the luggage left on Yumi’s desk.

「That was… It’s been quite a while since Takai-san said she’d go to the library after going to the bathroom… I’ll call her in a bit.」

「Eh?」

As soon as Marika took out her phone and checked it, she raised a small voice.

「Marika? What’s wrong?」

「Takai-san, I got a message that she was leaving today without stopping by the library.」

Yumi goes to the bathroom and does not return, sends a message to Marika that she will not go to the library, and leaves her luggage in the classroom.

Yumi was acting strangely during lunch break as well. She was about to say something to me, but she cut herself off mid-sentence saying it was nothing.

——Did something happen this morning?

I hurriedly took out my phone and made a call to Yumi.

「Tch! It’s not connecting! It would announce that it’s out of range or that the power is out. Marika, try calling Yumi.」

Even Marika can’t locate them if she can’t connect with them.

「I can’t as well! Not connecting either!」

If Marika isn’t able to… If ww can’t reach her on our cell phones, we have to find her directly.

「Marika! We’re going to search the school building!」

「Alright!」

Marika and I ran out of the classroom.

「Marika, search everything in the school building, starting with the restrooms! I’ll search outside.」

I stopped in front of the classroom and gave Marika instructions to split into two groups.

——I should have listened to you properly during my lunch break.

As I ran down the stairs, I regretted that I had not asked Yumi back after noticing that she was acting strangely.

I walked up to the shoe box to change into my shoes to get out of the school building.

——!?

I opened my shoe box and found what looked like white paper.

I had heard about the slanderous leaflets in Marika’s shoe box, and I wondered, was I the target this time? I was alarmed for a moment.

Fearfully, I took out a piece of paper and checked its contents.

This is… It’s part of a letter that calls Yuzumi in front of the gym equipment storage. She put this in my shoe box? It’s torn in half so I can’t read it all, but I’m pretty sure she was headed to the front of the gym equipment storage after school.

I put the letter in my pocket and hurried to the gym equipment storage behind the school building.

「The letter said in front of the gym equipment warehouse…」

From a distance, there is no one in front of the gym equipment warehouse.

——Are they in the warehouse?

I run over to the gym equipment warehouse to check the surroundings.

——No one is there.

I put my hand on the door of the gym equipment storage.

「Huh? I can’t open it. Is anyone there? Or is it locked from the inside?」

I put my ear to the door of the gym equipment storage room and listen inside.

——!

There were voices talking. I heard a voice that sounded like a faint conversation.

——Yumi must be inside. Is she with Kurashima and the others?

I took out my phone and called Tōyama without hesitation. If I call him under my name, which is in the middle of library commissioner business but rarely calls him, he might pick up the phone to see what’s going on.

I continued calling Tōyama’s cell phone while I ran around the gym equipment warehouse looking for another entrance.

——Tōyama, pick up your phone… Please!

Beep–beep–beep!

The vibrator on my phone, which I had put on silent mode and placed in my uniform pants because I was on library duty, has been vibrating continuously since a few minutes ago.

The fact that it is still vibrating suggests that it is an incoming phone call.

I took my phone out of my pocket and quietly checked the screen under the counter.

——Aizawa-san!?

This may be the first time Aizawa-san has called me.

I’m very curious to know what kind of business it is… The fact that it keep ringing without giving up may be an urgent matter.

I glance around the library.

Right now, Ishiyama-san is the only one in the library. Deciding that since we were classmates, it was okay, I crouched down in the counter, covered my phone with my hand, and secretly answered the phone.

「Hello, Aizawa-san? What the hell is going on?」

I responded in a hushed, whispery little voice.

On the other end of the phone, Aizawa-san seemed to be in a panic and was in a terrible mood.

『Great, it’s connected! Tōyama, listen well. Right now, I’m in front of the gym equipment warehouse behind the school building, but I think Yumi is probably inside the warehouse because Kurashima and his friends called her with a letter.』

「Ehh!? Takai might be in the gym equipment warehouse with Kurashima⁉︎︎」

I involuntarily stood up and raised my voice, forgetting to hush it.

Ishiyama-san seemed to have heard my voice and turned around.

『That’s right. I put my ear to the door and listened. I could hear people inside. So I tried to go inside, but it was locked and I couldn’t get in. Tōyama bring the teacher and the key. Anyway, hurry!』

「I–I understand! I’ll be right there!」

I hang up the call and jump out from the counter.

「Tōyama-kun! What does it mean that Kazuto is with Takai-san?」

Ishiyama-san, who was listening to the conversation, came up to me.

「I’m not sure either. Someone said they might be together in the gym.」

What is wrong with Ishiyama-san when she has no time for such questions and answers?

「That… Kazuto said he would go out with me, but I can’t believe he’s with that woman…」

「Tōyama! Is Takai-san here?」

This time, Uehara-san popped into the library.

「Uehara-san! I heard that Takai is in the gym equipment warehouse. I’m going there now. Maybe Ishiyama-san there knows something. Ask her the rest!」

I had no time to be bothered and ran out of the library.

「Kyaah!!」

I almost came into contact with someone because I rushed out of the library, but I escaped in the nick of time.

「Tōyama-kun!?」

「Miyamoto-sensei! Just in time. We need the key to the gym equipment warehouse. We need to hurry and come with us!」

We met Miyamoto-sensei at the right place at the right time. She must have come to take over the duties of the library committee.

I forcefully pull her hand and pull her along.

「W–Wait, Tōyama-kun, you need explain to me what this mean.」

「I don’t know the details either, but I heard that Takai is locked up in the gym equipment warehouse.」

「What does that mean…」

「We’re in a hurry anyway. Please come with me, doctor!」

I pulled on Miyamoto-sensei’s hand and ran toward the staff room.

「I–I understand, so let my hand go. It’s hard to run.」

I let go of Miyamoto-sensei’s hand and we both ran to the staff room.

When I saw Miyamoto-sensei and I rushing into the staff room, the other teachers rolled their eyes at us, wondering what was going on. I was rolling my eyes.

「There’s no key to the gym equipment locker… Someone must have taken it.」

  

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I found Kurashima’s name in the entry field of the paper for the key take-out control chart.

——I knew it was him!

「Sensei, do you have any other keys?」

I was in a hurry. My opponent was that Kurashima. I didn’t know what he would do to her.

「I believe there was a spare key…」

Miyamoto-sensei is looking for the key in the key box.

Time is passing even as she does this.

「There it is. This is the master key—— T–Tōyama-kun!?」

I forcefully took the master key from Miyamoto-sensei’s hand.

「Sensei needs to get there soon!」

Leaving these words, I ran out of the staff room.



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