Not a detective

Page 145

That's right. Not only him, but also many of his classmates behind him were bowing repeatedly with sincere pleading eyes, saying things like "Please."

This put Asakawa Riku in a difficult position. This was the situation he was least comfortable in, especially when others needed help.

Moreover, almost half of the class had gathered around, which left him with some psychological trauma. He couldn't help but recall the time on that island when he was besieged by "fanatic villagers" with the same faces. Although Asakawa Riku had a good mental fortitude and wasn't afraid, he still felt a jolt in his heart. He felt that to resolve this issue, he needed to get along well with everyone.

Well, this is a request from a classmate, not a trap set by Chizuko or a request from Suetsuki, so it shouldn't be related to anything dangerous...

Thinking of this, he relented:

"Tell me about it first?"

"...Well, next Friday is our school's annual campus festival."

As soon as Haoji finished speaking, Asakawa Riku suddenly realized what he meant.

Yes, it's definitely time for this.

The school festival of XX Metropolitan High School was originally intended to commemorate the day the school was founded, which is around this time every autumn.

Last year, Riku Asakawa also experienced something similar, probably after the "Aoandon Incident," when Chizuko took him all over the school looking for delicious food stalls.

She even wrote a travel guide map, which I remember very well.

So naturally, Asakawa Riku didn't help his class's booth last year, and didn't even know what they did last year. Thinking about it, he felt a little guilty.

"Alright, whatever you need my help with this year, I'll be happy to oblige."

He laughed heartily.

"Great!"

"So handsome...!"

“That’s really helpful!”

Immediately, the class erupted in cheers and applause, and Haoji patted him on the shoulder enthusiastically: "You really are a brother, I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"

Asakawa Riku smiled and gave them a heads-up:

"Let me make this clear first, my cooking skills are not very good. Asking me to cook will only harm everyone. Apart from that, I'm perfectly capable of doing physical labor."

He figured that even if he were asked to do something, it would probably be manual labor like moving tables and chairs or setting up the shop, and he could do the work of a dozen people.

For him, this is also part of his spiritual practice and training; it's nothing special.

Moreover, he also wanted to experience the feeling of youth, like a "campus festival," by working together with his classmates to open a shop.

But to his surprise, Hirata Kokichi patted him on the shoulder and said something with a smile that completely exceeded his expectations:

"Ah, Lu, the thing we need to ask you is actually very simple, you don't need to do any physical labor."

"Defeat the student council, challenge their trials, and clear all the stages of the [Marineford War]!"

...

"The war at the top?"

Shinonome Suetsuki showed an expression as if she had never seen "One Piece," revealing that there were things she didn't know.

But that doesn't matter; it has nothing to do with that comic book, it just borrowed a name.

Asakawa Riku hesitated for a moment, his expression also quite strange, as if he didn't know how to explain it. After a while, he said:

"If you were to set up a booth at the school festival, which location do you think would be the best?"

"Principal's Office."

"No, because... huh?"

"The principal's office. If you open a shop there, the principal will have to buy all your goods and kick you out in order to carry out his duties."

"There was never such an option in the first place...! Seriously, common sense doesn't work with you."

Asakawa Riku was helpless. He could only explain to himself, "Under normal circumstances, the most sought-after locations are the [campus entrance] or the [first-floor corridor]."

It's easy to understand with common sense that tourists usually start their visit from the entrance, and most stalls sell food, with a few selling amusement rides.

If you've eaten your fill, gotten tired of playing, or run out of budget at the entrance, the other stalls inside the campus will be much quieter, which is why the closer you get to the entrance, the busier it gets.

In another scenario, some tourists are used to walking around and looking at things before choosing the snacks they want to buy, or students come out of the classroom to see what other classes are like.

In this situation, the best location is on the first floor of the school building, because people are always too lazy to climb stairs, and there is no elevator here.

It's human nature to prefer finishing up on the first floor; once you're tired of shopping, you don't want to climb the stairs.

Therefore, logically speaking, the school entrance and the first-floor corridor are the most sought-after locations, and classes that set up stalls there will have the best business.

"However, the situation is slightly different at our school."

Asakawa Riku changed the subject, saying that he had thought the same way before that day, but after hearing what his classmates said, he realized that he had missed a crucial point.

He held up one finger, and Dongyun Sueyue slowly tilted her head back, looking up at the ceiling—

"The most sought-after spot is actually the school rooftop."

Zashiki-warashi no Aki: Chapter 3 Special Request

"because--"

"Because your school's rooftop is not usually open to the public, but is specially opened on the day of the school festival, so students come to join in the fun, out of curiosity and a sense of novelty."

As soon as Asakawa Riku opened his mouth, Shinonome Suetsuki uttered a string of words.

This completely stole his line. He paused for a moment before saying, "That's right... How did you know?"

"Because I'm a detective."

It was that arrogant laugh again.

Having already witnessed her methods, Asakawa Riku didn't dwell on it too much and continued speaking:

"Yes, you're right. The rooftop area, which is open only on the day of the school festival, has become a place that all students want to go up and see. So, any shop that opens here, even the worst snacks or the most boring games, will be packed with people and will never lack business... But unfortunately, this prime location has always been reserved by the Student Council."

This is the "first lesson in society" that schools can teach everyone.

In this world, those with power always occupy the best positions. As the highest authority among students, the student council is also in charge of the entire campus festival.

Therefore, while other classes drew lots, they were always assigned to the rooftop.

"This shameless pre-selection naturally aroused the students' dissatisfaction, so a few years ago, some students filed a complaint with the school. In order to deal with the dissatisfaction and complaints, the student council was forced to speak out and put forward a rule called the "Summit War", saying that "the representative of any class who can pass the student council's trial will get the position."

"Isn't this pretty fair? Just like mahjong, the winner takes all."

"It seems that way, but the truth is, ever since the rules of the [Summit War] were officially released, many classes have sent representatives to try to challenge the student council, but all of them have failed. In the past few years, the student council has still occupied the top of the entire school. After all, it is the student council that issued the rules. They are both the referee and the player. Isn't there going to be unfairness? Some people went to challenge with such questions in mind, but they came back silent. Obviously, they were defeated... This shows that the opponent is not simple. This may be very difficult."

Actually, Asakawa Riku heard these rumors from his classmates.

Whether there was any exaggeration or not, he was also affected and began to wonder about the mysterious student council.

...His impression of the student council was from this time last year, when the student council ordered their mystery club to disband. He remembered that they expelled the bullying group from school, but afterwards they completely changed their attitude and awarded the mystery club, which was the least deserving of the title, the "Best Club of the Year" award. Their actions were quite bizarre.

Unexpectedly, autumn has come again, and I've gotten involved with them once more.

Shinonome Sugetsuki, however, was unaffected by the atmosphere of the story and said nonchalantly:

"So what? Aren't you always very confident, always ready to fight if you disagree?"

“If the so-called challenge is ‘arm wrestling,’ ‘tug-of-war,’ or even ‘free fighting,’ then I have nothing to be afraid of.”

Asakawa Riku sighed with difficulty and finally revealed the crux of the problem:

"But... they say that the 'Marineford War' was actually an intellectual contest."

"……Um?"

The last month of the month seems to have finally piqued my interest, and I'm no longer so lethargic.

"Because there is a significant difference in physical strength between boys and girls, we won't use physical competitions like running as the rules. Besides, we already have the [Sports Meet], which represents physical strength, so the [Cultural Festival] will naturally be more about intellectual competition. The specific rules are still unknown, but they are unrelated to physical strength. Just like this game of mahjong, it could also be a regular card game."

Asakawa Riku said helplessly that the rules completely negated his advantages: "If my opponent were you, I would have lost miserably."

He wasn't particularly good at using his brain, and his grades were only average in his class. Although he was a top student for a while when he was young, thanks to the knowledge he gained from his time travel, by high school, his academic level was exactly the same as before he time-traveled, and there wasn't much difference between him and his previous level. He was just an average student.

Especially if you happen to encounter a monster like Shinonome Suetsuki, you won't be able to defeat him even if you fight with all your might.

Although I don't know if the student council exists at this level, it's better to consider this premise since the other side has been able to face challenges from the entire school and win for so many years.

"I've also told my classmates that I might not be good at these rules, and if I want to win, I should ask someone else for help."

Asakawa Riku sighed, "But they don't listen to me at all."

He remembered that at the time, Haoji and his classmates kept clamoring for Asakawa Riku to take over the attack, saying things like, "We believe in you! You will definitely win!"

Despite his reluctance, Asakawa Riku still said, "How about we let the class monitor go? She has the best grades and is the smartest in the class. Her chances of winning should be higher."

However, class president Kato Mio herself was also among those egging them on. She explained that she had something to do on the day of the school festival and couldn't represent the class, so she entrusted it to Asakawa Riku.

"Asakawa-kun, open your eyes and look at the expectant eyes of your classmates! Everyone is hoping you'll play!"

She actually said that.

However, Asakawa Riku actually looked at everyone's eyes.

It wasn't out of malice to see him make a fool of himself, but out of genuine hope that he could represent the class.

Come to think of it, it seems like it started around the beginning of the fall semester when Asakawa Riku vaguely sensed that something was off about the atmosphere in the class. After asking around, he learned that in their memories, they all felt that "Asakawa Riku saved them during the shipwreck in the summer." Of course, they didn't remember the specific details, nor did they know about the big fish... but they had this vague impression. It seems that the memory modification by the Surveillance Department couldn't be completely erased; it was just corrected to something like "Asakawa Riku called for rescue."

In short, for no apparent reason, Asakawa Riku became a "hero" and "savior" in the eyes of his classmates. Although it wasn't wrong to say that, he still felt embarrassed.

"Alright alright……"

And so, Asakawa, who was flattered and easily embarrassed, was put on the spot.

Afterwards, he regretted it. He shouldn't have agreed so easily. What if he had lost? His classmates probably wouldn't blame him, but he himself would have felt terrible.

Those who practice martial arts all possess a competitive spirit; otherwise, they could not have reached the level Asakawa Riku has reached. He believes in fulfilling promises and giving his all in every battle, regardless of the situation. Fighting with all his might for victory is his principle. Therefore, Asakawa Riku no longer treats this school festival as a casual game and begins to seriously consider the matter of the "Marine War."

"so."

Asakawa Riku had finally laid all the groundwork. He raised his head and looked at Shinonome Suezuki before him:

"I need you to act as a substitute player, posing as a student from our class, to help me achieve victory in the Marineford War. That's the content of the request."

Zashiki-warashi no Autumn: Chapter 4 - Where Did My Senior Go?

"I?"

Dongyun Sueyue did not agree. She shook her head: "I'm not even a student at your school... By the way, don't you have a more suitable candidate for the [substitute]?"

She squinted and stared at Asakawa Riku:

"Like your 'senior'?"

"...Well."

Asakawa Riku paused for a moment.

Even without her saying it, Chizuko-senpai was his first choice.

This doesn't mean that Asakawa Riku thinks Chizuko is smarter than Suetsuki. He actually can't say for sure which of these two prodigies is more intelligent.

It's just that Suetsuki's age and physique aren't really suitable for playing a high school student. As for Chizuko-senpai, she's not even suitable for playing a junior high student, let alone a junior. She could even play a middle school student without any problem...

"But unfortunately, Kazamatsuri-senpai is not at the school right now."

This was something that Asakawa Riku only learned about after the fall semester started.

At first, when he went to the mystery club for lunch, he found the door closed. He assumed she was unwell and taking a couple of days off, but she didn't come for a whole week.

This was not right. So Asakawa Riku asked Yukie at home if she knew what was going on. Yukie was surprised to find that her older sister had not told him.

It turns out that Kazamatsuri Chizuru went to Mie Prefecture.

...

At this point, I have to insert a long explanation, but without it, it's impossible to understand this matter.

This all starts with the question, "How does one become a priest in Japan?"

In ancient times, becoming a "shrine maiden" was quite simple, but becoming a "divine master" required the emperor's permission; it was a very sacred and inviolable position.

After the Meiji Restoration, some systems changed, and people began to refer to the priests of some small shrines nearby as "shrine master," including shrines like the Kazamatsuri Shrine.

Furthermore, in ancient times, the position of priest was basically hereditary, but now anyone can serve as a priest as long as they obtain the priesthood qualification from the shrine headquarters.