Once the affection level is maxed out, the rivalry begins!

Xia Xingzhi is convinced that the fox spirit stole Yin Xing, and her reasoning speed probably surpasses that of 99% of detective films.

Pointing out the culprit early on is not something someone like Kogoro Mouri would do!

But Bai Ze still chose to trust the detective's judgment.

It's just unclear what the phantom thief's purpose was in bringing them into this other world. Could it be that he wanted to use the power of the so-called fox spirit to pull off a scheme where one tiger is used to devour another?

In order to break through the other world, Bai Ze is indeed very likely to confront the fox spirit, who is suspected to be the abnormal entity.

"To lure out the fox spirit, you have to do something similar to what you did to my sister last time... to my sister."

Xia Xingzhi blushed slightly and paused for a moment.

Bai Ze was shocked: "Am I also going to grope that student council president's breasts?!"

"No, that's not it! I meant to provoke an extreme reaction!"

The detective picked up a stack of papers from the sofa armrest and tapped him on the head.

"Hasn't the rumor already shown us how to handle it?"

Katsura Mai mentioned that they were about to perform a play reflecting the legend of the Silver Star, which was rumored to have angered the fox spirit, who then stole a sword as a warning, and two people even stopped performing out of fear.

Bai Ze quickly understood Xia Xingzhi's meaning and turned to the student council president, who looked curious about what they had talked about.

"An investigation takes time. As for that opera you mentioned, would you like us to help fill the vacancies for rehearsals?"

"Huh, are private investigator services really that thorough these days?"

Katsura Mai glanced at the two faces with a wavering expression. "If we're talking about suitability, it wouldn't be unreasonable for either of you to apply for roles in a professional theater troupe... Besides, the protagonist of the legend is male, so there's no need to have other girls dressed as boys to play the role."

"If you're willing... that would be even better; just don't let it interfere with the important matter of catching the thief."

Her face was full of questions: "Why would someone so foolish as to come knocking on my door and offer to help?"

"Our school will provide accommodation for the two of them, and the rehearsal venue will also be located in the dormitory building."

Before long, Bai Ze followed the student council president to the Western-style building located on the east side of the school lawn.

This was originally the student dormitory building of Qingqiu Women's College in this era.

But to be able to arrange for outsiders to stay, isn't the student council president's power a bit too much?

Bai Ze was very curious whether there was a person named Gui Zhenyi in real history, or the so-called Qingqiu School Protection Team, or whether it was his own creation.

In any case, he and Natsumi were introduced by Katsura Mai to the members who were rehearsing a play in a separate building of the mansion.

As Bai Ze stepped into the room, which had been converted from a sunroom, he attracted the girls' attention like a moving target.

Even if someone uses an investigation permit to infiltrate a girls' school, it doesn't mean their gender is obscured.

Moreover, Qingqiu in this other world was still in the era of church schools, and the men in the vicinity were basically extinct. One can imagine how shocking it would be for these sheltered young ladies to suddenly appear as a living person of the opposite sex.

"Is that a boy?" "Is he the student council president's boyfriend?" "They do look very compatible!" "Are they going to accept male students? Is he a new transfer student?" "I've read novels about this kind of thing in the newspaper!"

Like the cacophony of a thousand ducks drowning out everything, the detective turned ashen-white as if she were ascending to heaven.

Katsura Mai sighed, then clapped her hands.

"Quiet!"

The girls fell silent instantly, demonstrating the president's prestige in their hearts.

"These two are the helpers I invited to assist everyone with rehearsals, so we don't have to worry about a shortage of manpower now."

Katsura Mai tossed her long hair, which reached her waist, and raised the wooden sword she always carried. "Don't let me hear anyone else about being scared and wanting to quit again!"

"yes--"

They agreed in unison, drawing out their voices.

"The sleeping room is at the far end of the corridor on the first floor of the west building; it's an unused dormitory room."

After boosting morale, Katsura Mai looked over with a slightly apologetic expression, "I'm afraid you two will have to share a room. I'm really sorry."

"N-It's okay... Can I go now?"

The number of people present was enough to trigger Xia Xingzhi's social anxiety mechanism. She clutched Bai Ze's clothes and asked tremblingly.

"No, you were the one who said you wanted to act in a play. How can a hero desert his post?"

Bai Ze expressionlessly grabbed the detective's shoulder as she tried to escape, causing her to scream in pain.

"So you two are engaged?"

Katsura Mai, lost in thought, suddenly realized, "Comrades and lovers rushing to the crime scene together... how romantic."

In the eyes of people in this era, two people who don't care about living together are considered to have secretly pledged their lives to each other, and there's nothing that can be done about it.

"Hey, hey, what's your name?"

Among the girls, some couldn't contain their curiosity and began to approach them. A short girl with short bob haircut came up to Bai Ze and asked him questions in a lively manner.

"Bai Ze, the white of white, the ze of swamp."

He held Xia Xingzhi down to prevent her from escaping while answering.

"Haven't you heard the rumors about the fox spirit's wrath? How dare you come to participate in the performance?"

"I was actually looking forward to meeting the fox spirit, which is why I volunteered to help. Besides, everyone here is going to participate, and aren't you afraid?"

"Because I believe that even if a fox spirit were to appear, the guild master could defeat it with a single strike!"

The short-haired girl made a clenching motion with both hands as if she were swinging a knife, but ended up hitting another girl next to her.

"Hmph, the fox spirit was a fake to begin with."

The girl who had been chopped in the hand wore gold-rimmed glasses, pushed up her glasses, and said indifferently.

"Hey—Xiao Ye, you're saying that again. Isn't it something you always say that science can't explain everything?"

The short-haired girl bumped into her with her shoulder.

"But the assumption that the fox spirit is angry is too unreliable. If it were really angry, wouldn't it be better to deal with us directly? Why only steal the sword?"

The bespectacled girl, called Xiaoye, retorted irritably, "I'd rather believe it was the Phantom Thief Saint Tail who made the move than believe that."

"Phantom Thief, Saint Tail?"

Xia Xingzhi peeked out from behind Bai Ze and asked a question despite her social anxiety.

They were lured to this other world by the phantom thief, so naturally they would be very sensitive to related words.

"That's an even more outrageous rumor than the one about fox spirits."

Katsura Mai glared at the two girls who had started the conversation with displeasure. The short-haired girl stuck out her tongue and pulled the girl with glasses away.

If the fox spirit legend only emerged recently with the theft of the Silver Star Sword, then the Phantom Thief Saint Tail is a long-standing school ghost story.

The story is about a student at Qingqiu Girls' Church Academy who diligently receives instruction during the day but robs the rich to help the poor at night, making her the object of many girls' admiration.

It is said that she wears an outfit modified from a nun's habit, and she never misses a target when she sets her sights on a treasure. In fact, many people say that the Saintess was behind the Silver Star Sword incident.

The true culprit, the fox spirit, is actually a rising star.

"Our school is sponsored by the church, so the atmosphere is inevitably somewhat solemn."

Katsura Mai shrugged helplessly. "It's not surprising that people fantasize about a lawless phantom thief, Saint Girl, when they're feeling repressed."

Bai Ze and Xia Xingzhi exchanged a glance.

According to the detective's proposed law for solving cases in the realm of anomalies

Rumors and urban legends are not smokescreens used by the killer to mislead the public; they should not be believed to be true.