Character Story 2: Early Morning Mysteries
Scene: The Kaon guild house.
Kasumi
(Okay... All ready ♪)
Kasumi
(Properly cleaned my teeth and brushed my hair.)
Kasumi
(From every angle, a cute detective girl... No, a magnificent Great Detective ♪)
Kasumi
(My daily lifestyle's been thrown off lately, so I was worried my skin had gotten a bit rough.)
Kasumi
(After trying the lotion I borrowed from Maho, it's back to being smooth and healthy.)
Kasumi
(Huhu. Last night, Yuuki... Assistant and I ended up having to call it off after the explanation of the job's details. )
Kasumi
(From today forward, once again the Shadow incident investigation resumes!)
Kasumi
(Uu~. After Assistant left yesterday, I realized just how unkempt my bedhead was. How embarrassing.)
Kasumi
(Even though I just read in a book that "First impressions are the most important part of a relationship" the other day...)
Kasumi
(But! It's not too late, I can still put on a cool demeanor.)
Kasumi
(I'd hate if Assistant thought of me as an incompetent detective, so I've got to try my best.)
Kasumi
... that being said, Assistant sure is late.
Kasumi
Suddenly late? His motivation's already gone?
Kasumi
It really felt like he would give his best after talking with him a bit yesterday, though...
Kasumi
He was all fired up and said "I don't really know much about detectives, but I'll definitely learn. I'll do my best as an assistant" didn't he...
Kasumi
Maybe I'm the one that was mistaken about how motivated he was.
Kasumi
Uuu. I thought I'd built up a lot of patience from having to conduct stakeouts for investigations in the past, but...
Kasumi
I wonder, why am I so unusually anxious this time?
Kasumi
(If it's with Yuuki, maybe just like my beloved mystery novels...)
Kasumi
(I was kind of hoping for a big revelation to flourish from my heart.)
Kasumi
(I wonder, it's kind of strange. I've only just met them, and yet...)
Kasumi
... Uhya!?
Kasumi
Ah, Assistant! Entering at a time like this... you've got some nerve keeping your employer waiting!
Kasumi
Why were you late? If you've got an excuse, then out with it!
Kasumi
Huh? You were caught up in a mysterious incident this morning and so you were late?
Kasumi
Trying to take me for a fool, huh? Did you think that excuse would work?
Kasumi
Though honestly... I am a bit curious. Please explain in detail, Assistant.
Kasumi
Hmm. So at this Sarendia Orphanage you're currently residing in, the incident occurred when you were preparing breakfast.
Kasumi
Huh. A knife suddenly shattered in the middle of cooking?
Kasumi
Part of the blade that broke off wounded your arm, and so treating that ate up a lot of your time...?
Kasumi
Okay, let's see that arm.
Kasumi
There definitely is a fresh wound here... so you don’t seem to be lying.
Kasumi
Well, I'm at least relieved that it wasn't a murder case.
Kasumi
Huh? Can I deduce how it happened?
Kasumi
Who do you think I am. I'm the great detective Kaon boasts about, you know?
Kasumi
But, asking the detective for everything is against the rules. First, think about it yourself. I want to hear what your deduction is... Assistant♪
Yuuki
1. No idea.
2. An unfortunate accident.
Option 1.
Kasumi
You gave up way too soon... Try giving it a bit more thought.
Kasumi
What we all possess is intelligence! It's a waste if we don't utilize it effectively, don't you think?
Option 2.
Kasumi
Yep. That conclusion is definitely the most noble, since it doesn't make you feel bad for accusing anyone of being a bad person.
Kasumi
Though thinking this incident was a mere accident seems a little unnatural.
Kasumi
Well, if that's the explanation you've come up with, it doesn't matter if it's correct or not.
Kasumi
A detective is one who's job is to pull together an explanation that anyone can agree with.
Kasumi
To spin a tale that satisfies the client who years for the truth.
Kasumi
If you're satisfied with it being an unfortunate accident, then I've got nothing to say about it.
End of branches.
Kasumi
Huhu. You're making quite the unsatisfied face there, Assistant.
Kasumi
Can't be helped, huh? It's a Great Detective's job after all, so I'll give you the correct answer.
Kasumi
Before I come to a conclusion, let me get one of the facts straight. The one preparing breakfast, that is to say, the one that was cooking, was that you, Assistant?
Kasumi
It wasn't? Well, you didn't seem to be the type to cook anyway...
Kasumi
Hm. This morning, it was your housemate, this Kokkoro, who was in charge of cooking, eh?
Kasumi
W-Wha..? Kokkoro was definitely not the culprit?
Kasumi
That sure is lot of trust you placed in her. Suspecting those closest to you first is the most basic of basics, you know?
Kasumi
But well, rest assured. My deduction does not pin Kokkoro as the suspect.
Kasumi
I'll be frank about it. The suspect was you, Assistant.
Kasumi
I seem to recall that you have some mysterious power that allows you to increase your allies' combat prowess, correct?
Kasumi
Yep... I looked into a few things about you, is why I knew.
Kasumi
Huhu. From what I've said, you should be able to tell what my deduction will be, right?
Kasumi
Yes. You used that aforementioned suspicious power to strengthen Kokkoro.
Kasumi
It was probably involuntary. You probably thought to yourself "Do your best with cooking~♪" or some such.
Kasumi
And through use of that power, Kokkoro’s physical strength rose.
Kasumi
Kokkoro probably went about cooking as usual.
Kasumi
But, since her physical strength had grown, the knife she was using couldn't take it and shattered.
Kasumi
And that's the truth of the matter.
Kasumi
Of course, I didn't conduct an on-site investigation and such, so we can't confirm whether or not this deduction was correct.
Kasumi
If one thing can be said from this, is that your strange power doesn't solely have merits.
Kasumi
It's a convenient, miracle-like power, but you need to be wary of how you use it.
Kasumi
The next time, you may not be let off with just a wound. That's the lesson you can take away from this incident.
Kasumi
Huhu. A round of applause, huh? It's making me a little self-conscious.
Kasumi
Good, good. You've got quite the relieved expression now... Assistant. That I was able to make a deduction that the client was satisfied with fills me with a feeling of affirmation.
Kasumi
Well, that's enough. Let's end the mock deduction here and get started with work.
Kasumi
We've got more urgent incidents that need solving.
Kasumi
Time to go investigate, Assistant. I'm looking forward to seeing your performance.