Romantic Troubles of Duanmu-kun

He pressed his face closer to the binoculars.

The focus distance had clearly been adjusted by Fujishima-san. An off-road vehicle with signs of modification came directly into view.

The rainwater accumulating on the road near the lawn was probably ankle-deep where it flowed into the storm drain. Two straight white trails appeared like rapids on the water’s surface where the SUV’s tires had passed, gradually fading as they approached the drain.

Like a beast charging out of the depths of night, it had recently pierced through the cold curtain of rain with athletic grace. Now it lay curled up cautiously in the storm. The headlights were still on, their yellow beams illuminating a curtain woven from rain falling like an inverted waterfall.

The scene was as silent as a slow, soundless shot from a black and white film. The engine, like the lungs of some monster, let out a long breath that slowly faded into the rainy night until it could no longer be heard.

Click.

The sound at his ear had seemed almost imaginary as the SUV’s door was pushed open from inside with a faint noise. An elderly man with a gaunt face and lean limbs, wearing a heavy black coat and rain boots, stepped down.

It was the resident from Building Three.

The elderly man who lived alone and whose hobby was trimming the roadside grass with a lawnmower.

He locked the door with an electronic key fob and turned off the headlights. After circling around the black door, he went to the trunk and opened it. The old man’s upper body disappeared into the darkness of the cargo area, and after a while, he emerged holding a suspicious human-shaped package.

Due to the distance, its exact size was hard to determine. However, roughly comparing it to the old man’s height, it was clearly at least as tall as a person. The material appeared to be nylon or plastic, in a plain gray color.

Obviously, the old man’s strange behavior was the source of Fujishima-san’s confusion and unease.

“This isn’t the first… um, the first one. Since earlier, he’s taken out a total of three… three of them from the trunk and back seat,” Fujishima Misao said softly. She was noticeably hesitant in choosing her measure words.

“Class Rep, what do you think?”

“Mmm…”

Itou Maho’s expression wasn’t good; it seemed her mood was similar to Fujishima-san’s. Though suspicious, she held back from saying anything due to the atmosphere.

The Novelist turned his head, adjusting the viewing distance to carefully observe the human-shaped bag in the old man’s arms. A simple hand cart was parked next to the SUV. Two gray bags were already placed on it, and after being soaked by rain, their surfaces showed subtle irregularities. Judging by the slight arch they formed when stacked on the cart, they seemed to contain something soft inside.

“Going by the exterior appearance, they certainly look like body bags,” the Novelist said calmly, giving voice to the first suspicion that had occurred to the two girls but which they didn’t want to mention.

“…This guy probably doesn’t have any friends in class, right?”

“Misao, even if it’s true, you shouldn’t say that right to his face!”

The Novelist pretended not to hear their conversation, ignoring the girls’ whispered exchange. He cleared his throat and continued.

“Well, we might be overly sensitive to this sort of thing because we just played a deduction game using real people as material.”

“…Is that so?”

The Class Rep seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Seeing Misao’s uneasy expression earlier, she had probably been thinking about the situation too seriously.

“After all, he could just be transporting some kind of goods, right? The bags don’t necessarily contain bodies. In fact, jumping straight to assuming they’re corpses is problematic thinking in itself…”

Of course, seeing such a scene in the dead of night was quite frightening. Especially on a stormy night, the old man’s movements and demeanor seemed strange and eerie in such an environment.

At that moment, the gloomy sky was split by a blade of light. Brilliant white flooded into the room like a tidal wave, illuminating the faces of the boys and girls in a bloodless pallor.

“BOOM!”

A sudden tremendous noise came from outside, hammering at their hearts. The two girls’ bodies trembled slightly as they unconsciously clasped their hands together tightly.

“…Is that really the case?”

After a long silence, Misao regained her composure and spoke softly.

“You’ve all seen the notebook, right? This person… the resident of Building Three, I’ve never seen him use this vehicle, or even seen him drive at all.”

Fujishima-san furrowed her delicate brows, as if recalling everything about that old man.

“In other words, this vehicle probably doesn’t belong to him. The resident of Building Three is a reclusive person, with no relatives visiting, rarely goes out, and spends most of his days tending to the garden and lawn. I used to think he was just an ordinary retiree with nothing to do at home… but it seems it’s not that simple.”

“…I see. So he takes care of the outdoor plants and grass every day?”

The Novelist keenly noticed the key point in this statement. Since he had a hobby of tending to plants, he likely also had a habit of checking the weather forecast daily. Unlike himself and the Class Rep, if the old man knew there would likely be a downpour tonight, why would he break his usual routine and hurriedly choose to go out today?

“Besides, if they’re not bodies, what do you think could be in there?”

How could anyone possibly know that?

“So, Fujishima-san, since you think something’s wrong, what do you plan to do next?”

“Of course, we should take advantage of the rain and darkness to sneak into that guy’s house and investigate!… Just kidding! Stop glaring at me!”

Since they weren’t characters in a horror movie or game, they naturally wouldn’t make such a brainless choice.

Fujishima Misao crossed her arms over her chest, letting out a thoughtful “Hmm.”

“Should we call the police? Rationally speaking, I also think it’s more likely they’re not transporting bodies… but we can’t simply pretend we didn’t see anything.”

The Class Rep was still crouched by the binoculars, watching the old man in the rainy night. After loading the final bag onto the hand cart, he headed toward the Western-style house on his own.

“He doesn’t seem to be trying to hide anything at all. Maybe it really is a misunderstanding.”

“I think it wouldn’t hurt to have those police officers check it out. But this rain is too heavy… Oh! Let’s ask Mom!”

Fujishima-san clapped her hands together, having made her decision.