Stealing Spree

We followed Watanabe's lead through the dimly lit corridors of the Theater House, each step echoing slightly against the walls as we approached the backstage area.

I could hear the voices of the Theater Club using one of the rehearsal rooms. I thought of peeking to check on Misaki but decided against it. She was also passionate about her club, after all. I'd say hi before we leave the Theater House.

Anyway, the atmosphere of the corridor leading to our destination was oddly serene, almost as if the building itself was holding its breath, waiting for the next act in this strange play.

I looked around to possibly spot some clue but as expected, what could I get in a sparse corridor where it was almost empty?

Misaki with her usual cheerful self continued walking in front of me. My arm was still wrapped around her as though she was guiding me through this place.

Komoe and Shimura raised an eyebrow to it but none of them voiced out their thoughts.

Misaki would occasionally lift her head to giggle at me but I could tell she was also curious about the exact details of the incident.

"Here it is," Watanabe said, turning to face us. There was a note of anticipation in her voice, and her notepad was already poised for another entry.

"This is the storage room where I found the tripod. I didn't move it, I just took a picture."

I nodded approvingly. "Good work, Watanabe. Looks like you're better suited to be a General Affairs Manager than a Treasurer."

Watanabe's eyes widened slightly. "What are you saying, Onoda-kun? I'm good at being a Treasurer too!"

"Right, right, you are," I conceded with a smile. "But you're easily spooked. How did you think of looking here?"

Watanabe hesitated for a moment before answering. "Uhm... You mentioned the Drama Club, so..."

"I see. You went to a place we might not visit right away. Nice thinking."

Watanabe beamed at the praise. "Hehe. Praise me more, Onoda-kun."

I chuckled. "Should I? Shouldn't you be asking Masato-senpai for praise? Why isn't he with you?"

At my question, Watanabe's mood visibly plummeted. "He was sent by the President somewhere. He didn't want me to come." She pouted briefly before waving her hand dismissively as if she didn't want to talk about it anymore.

The other three girls with us couldn't help but laugh at our exchange, further fueling Watanabe's ire.

Without further ado, she walked to the door and pushed it open, revealing the interior of the old storage room.

The room was cluttered, filled with all sorts of old props, costumes, and furniture from past performances. In the far corner, leaning against a rack of dusty curtains was the tripod.

I approached it cautiously, as though expecting it to vanish the moment we got too close.

"It's definitely from the Photography Club," Komoe said, crouching down to examine it more closely.

"Yes. I see the engraving clearly. This is ours. I used this once before." Shimura confirmed as they picked it up.

I narrowed my eyes, inspecting the tripod in a brighter spot.

And it was clear to see.

It was too clean for it to have been sitting here for long.

Someone had placed it here recently...

That culprit was really slick, huh? Are they moving at the same time as we do?

As I thought of this, I sent a message to someone.

"Who did you message, Ruki?" Misaki asked as she peeked at my phone's screen.

"Oh. Someone who can visit a certain club and put on an act." I answered, patting her head.

Suddenly, Komoe who once again started wandering around the room pointed toward a pile of boxes she found in the corner. "Ruki, look over here."

We walked over to her and that's when I noticed another unusual thing.

Behind the stack of old boxes, barely visible, was a trail of what looked like crumpled fabric sticking out from beneath a crate.

I motioned for the others to stay back and carefully pulled the crate aside.

There, hidden under a layer of dust, was a bundle of shinai handles sticking out from a sack.

Unlike the tripod, the sack looked like it had been here for days as it had already accumulated dust that fell from that crate and the entire room.

So, even after saying that they were returning it, a lot was still missing.

The Kendo Club president would be livid.

"Well, this is interesting..." I muttered making Misaki, Komoe, and Shimura tilt their heads.

Watanabe, who had been standing close by, peeked over my shoulder. "Aha! I knew it! The culprit must've stashed them here too!"

I shook my head. "You're correct but it isn't that simple anymore, Watanabe."

"What do you mean?"

"This really is an elaborate game... Leaving enough clues for us to follow, only to make us arrive a step later." I said, completing a possible scenario in my head.

As we stepped out of that old storage room, carrying the sack of shinai and the tripod, my phone vibrated from my pocket.

I picked it up and saw the new message coming from the girl I just asked for a favor.

"She's here. Minami Shouko is happily playing Air Hockey. Look."

Along with that message, a photo was attached. Arisa's selfie. She was holding an air hockey mallet and behind her was an air hockey table along with her opponent who was posing with a peace sign.

And surprisingly, her appearance matched with the photo on the file.

"Minami Shouko..."

After passing by the Theater Club to check on Misaki and asking if they also saw a student hanging around, we moved to the Drama Club.

The President had knitted eyebrows upon seeing me carrying the sack filled with shinai.

"Onoda-kun, did you find that there?"

I shrugged, "It seems this place's old storage room has become a vault for a prankster, President. Your club and your neighbor should clean up soon. I'll write a report to the Student Council."

"... I see. We'll work on it next week."

Misaki then chimed in, "President, it was hidden underneath a crate! Komoe found it!"

"That's great..." The President patted Misaki's head before turning her focus back to me,

"You don't have to inspect here anymore, Onoda-kun. I checked our costumes. The ones lost have already been returned."

At that, I raised an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate, senpai?"

"Alright. Come with me."

With that, she guided us to the room where the costumes they were still actively using were stored.

The first striking thing to notice was the cardboard box.

It was already open but it was easy to tell that's what the President wanted to show us.

Then, Misaki walked over to it and exclaimed, "Eh? Are they here all along? I thought they were missing, President."

"Yeah. They turned. I don't know how or when... Onoda-kun. One of our windows can be opened. There's a track you can follow there.

Upon hearing all that, I didn't waste a second and checked it along with Misaki, Komoe, Shimura, and Watanabe.

Whatever their motive, this has been going on for far too long. We should put an end to this already.

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