In fact, after the information is refreshed, they always want to attack me!

Let alone submit it.

As he was thinking, Shiina Hiyori suddenly leaned forward, her voice suddenly becoming deeper, "Shimizu-kun, there's only one person who can tell the truth, and that person is you! So, your purpose in selling the surveillance footage to four classes was to transfer students, right?"

Chapter 167: 164 Sorry, your reasoning was wrong (4k)

The moment Shiina Hiyori finished speaking, her gaze involuntarily locked onto Shimizu Akira, as if a detective had caught the most subtle reaction of a suspect.

Unexpectedly, the composure on his face vanished instantly, replaced by obvious confusion.

Her own brows furrowed slightly.

Akira Shimizu's reaction was more straightforward than expected—it wasn't the embarrassment of having her thoughts exposed, but rather complete surprise, as if she had never imagined that the question would come out of her mouth.

Was he surprised that she could see through this? Or... was his own reasoning flawed?

A gust of wind suddenly blew through the half-open screen window, swirling a sticky note on the desk and wiping it across the cover of "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd," making a soft, rustling sound, as if striking a pause for this moment of stillness.

“I see.” Shimizu Akira’s voice broke the silence. He raised his hand to press his temples, his tone calm as he recovered. “Do you think I rented the surveillance cameras from the school in order to accumulate 20 million points to transfer to another class?”

He paused, then looked up with clear eyes: "Then, may I hear your reasoning, Miss Detective?"

The question was like a pebble thrown into still water, causing Hiyori Shiina's tense shoulders to relax slightly.

She suddenly realized that she had just held her breath, and the thin sweat from her palms left faint stains on the sheets.

Fortunately, he responded.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help feeling a subtle sense of annoyance.

I was supposed to be in charge of this "investigation," but now it felt like the "suspect" had gently helped me up, preventing me from falling too badly in the sudden derailment.

This feeling is really complicated.

"Deduction?" Shiina Hiyori cleared her throat, her fingertips tapping rhythmically on her knees, as if calibrating the rhythm of the logical chain that was about to unfold. "Actually, during this time, I summarized a few inevitable characteristics of 'that person'."

"Go ahead," Shimizu Akira replied succinctly, his gaze fixed on her fingertips tapping her knee, as if waiting for the next crucial moment.

“First, the other party must have had a considerable amount of personal points before renting the surveillance cameras.” She raised her index finger, her tone steady. “The surveillance cameras were rented from the school, not for free. Based on the lowest configuration, they must have had at least one million points, and possibly more than two million.”

Akira Shimizu nodded unconsciously: "That makes sense."

“Secondly, the student council must know his identity.” Shiina Hiyori raised her middle finger again. “There’s no reason why someone who can cooperate with the student council would have their identity hidden. After all, surveillance privileges aren’t just granted out casually.”

“Indeed.” A hint of seriousness crept into Shimizu Akira’s agreement as he recalled the computer the student council president had given him.

“Thirdly, I borrowed Shimizu’s idea.” She suddenly smiled. “The other party at least has a laptop. Since ‘that person’ was able to use the surveillance cameras first, they must have the equipment, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to see the surveillance footage from other classes.”

"Anything else?" When Shimizu Akira nodded this time, his gaze met hers.

"Fourthly, the other party bought a fake account from the school. I checked the registration record of that account, which shows that it was registered last April. Normal students' accounts are registered together when they enroll. This time point is too abrupt. It is most likely that it was a fake account that was specially applied for."

Akira Shimizu's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. He didn't interrupt, but his gaze fell on her crossed fingers.

“The fifth point follows from the fourth point.” She added another finger. “Since it’s a new account registered last month, it couldn’t possibly be an upperclassman deliberately using a new account to mess around, right? It’s most likely from a first-year student, not to mention that this person already knows the personnel configuration of the four first-year classes very well.”

"Sixth point: As of 6 PM today, apart from Class D, no one from any other class has purchased a secondary account." She said this very quickly, as if reciting a conclusive testimony.

"Oh?" Shimizu Akira finally raised an eyebrow, tapping his fingertips lightly on his side. "What's the basis for this?"

“I asked the homeroom teacher.” Shiina Hiyori leaned back, her lower back against the bookshelf at the head of the bed. “I didn’t ask who it was specifically, I just said I wanted to confirm if anyone in the class had bought a fake account, and his answer was ‘0 people’.”

She paused, then reached out and brushed a stray hair from her ear: "I also asked Ichinose from Class B and a classmate from Class A to help me inquire, and the answer was the same—no one in their class had ever bought a secondary account."

At this point, she suddenly straightened her back, put her six fingers together, and drew a neat arc in the air, as if to bring this reasoning to a close.

"So the conclusion is obvious: the person who bought the surveillance footage is a student from Class D in the first year. He already had a lot of points last month, knew people in the student council, had a laptop in his dorm, and even bought a fake account from the school."

"The final, seventh point—which is also the final evidence I have of why I believe Shimizu-kun is that person." Shiina Hiyori suddenly paused. "Shimizu-kun, do you remember the form I sent you?"

“…I remember.” Shimizu Akira’s voice was a beat late. “You specifically sent out your own example beforehand.”

"Then may I ask, what tool did Shimizu-san use to fill out the form?" Shiina Hiyori suddenly raised her head, her gaze like a taut thread wrapping around her.

Akira Shimizu was taken aback and couldn't reply for a moment.

He suddenly remembered the crisp sound of the keyboard clicking as he filled out the form that day, which was particularly clear in the empty dormitory.

He naturally filled out the form on the dormitory computer, a professional habit he carried over from his past life as a planner.

He was already used to efficiently completing these kinds of spreadsheet tasks that required meticulous processing on a computer—the rhythm of keyboard typing and the logic of spreadsheet layout seemed to be ingrained in his bones, and he always felt unfamiliar with other devices.

Unbelievable, how did the other party find a vulnerability?

"By the way, I did it on a computer." Her voice held a hint of assertiveness, like a detective finally revealing long-hidden evidence. "I borrowed Longyuan's computer beforehand and it took me over an hour to fill it out. But your form is so detailed, with all sorts of yellow and red lines, even the example questions are clearly written..."

She leaned forward slightly.

"And yet, Shimizu-kun, you sent it back in less than two hours." Shiina Hiyori's voice trailed off softly, but it felt like a heavy hammer blow to the heart. "You must have used a computer, right? Well then, may I ask, where did you get your computer from?"

"Did you borrow someone else's computer, Mom? That's unlikely." Shiina Hiyori asked in quick succession, "I clearly sent you the form at nine o'clock at night—who would be willing to lend their computer to someone and let them mess around with it until late at night at that time? Not to mention, only one person in Class D bought a computer."

"Besides, I just deliberately mentioned wanting to visit your dorm, and you immediately refused." She stroked her chin, drawing out her words, "If my reasoning is correct—"

The moment she stopped speaking, her gaze locked onto Akira Shimizu's face like a searchlight.

"Your computer should be on your desk in your dorm room right now, right?"

She spoke those last few words very softly, yet they were like a key being inserted into a lock, clicking and revealing the whole truth of how things unfolded.

However, after the detective finished explaining all her reasoning, she suddenly shook her head, and her previous aggressive demeanor vanished like smoke carried away by the evening breeze.

"Shimizu-kun, I'm not saying this to blame you." Her voice softened considerably. "I don't intend to tell Ryuuen-sho about your identity. Like I just said, I understand your position—being assigned to Class D and wanting to accumulate 20 million points to leave your class is perfectly normal, because logically speaking, no one likes to stay in the worst class, and I'm no exception."

She looked down at the pattern on the bed sheet, her tone becoming more earnest: "Renting surveillance footage isn't a scam. Last month, Class C was able to avoid losing so many class points, thanks to you, wasn't it? I just... wanted to fulfill my duty as a detective and get to the bottom of things. I hope you won't blame me for my somewhat aggressive attitude just now."

She looked up and said earnestly, "Shimizu-san, you've always been so good to me. You're a great assistant. You helped me out of that awkward situation at the electronics store, and after receiving the form, you worked for almost two hours straight through the night—come to think of it, it was because you replied so quickly that I caught you in the act." She suddenly smiled, "Even knowing Ichinose-san is thanks to you. You've done so much for me..."

She stood up and slammed the copy of "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" face down on the table: "Like Sherlock Holmes, I never consider myself a saint. I would never do something like using Watson's kindness to pry open clues, only to turn around and betray my assistant after uncovering the truth."

"So! I'll keep this to myself and I absolutely won't tell anyone!" She looked at Shimizu Akira with unwavering eyes and emphasized each word.

"Shiina-kun, you really surprised me."

Looking at her serious expression, a faint smile unconsciously appeared on Shimizu Akira's lips.

Just two hours ago, he was absolutely certain that his plans for this month could be kept secret.

Unexpectedly, before she could even settle in, Hiyori Shiina came knocking on her door.

Through seven interconnected lines of reasoning, the label of "the person who rents surveillance footage" is firmly attached to him.

Every line of reasoning is sound and almost identical to the facts.

He had actually expected her to uncover some of the clues, but some of her deductions were still beyond his expectations—such as contacting classmates in each class to confirm the alt account with the homeroom teacher.

What surprised him even more was that this seemingly quiet detective girl was actually so decisive in her actions, even asking Ichinose from Class B for help. As for the person she had asked to inquire about Class A... he couldn't guess who it was for the time being.

Strictly speaking, it was through the simultaneous efforts of all three classes that the target was ultimately pinpointed to Class D.

However, what really stirred his heart was the reasoning behind that form.

He paused, his gaze falling on the laptop on the other person's desk. "The spreadsheet... You sent it to me on Saturday night, right? Did you suspect me from that time?"

Hiyori Shiina's tapping suddenly stopped, as if pulled back to a specific point in time by these words. Her voice was a fraction lower than before: "Actually, I didn't think too much about it at first. When I sent the form on Saturday night, I just felt that your reply was unusually fast. At the time, I just thought you were efficient. It wasn't until yesterday, when I was sorting out the clues related to the surveillance footage, that I suddenly remembered this matter."

“So if you follow this line of thought, a lot of things will fall into place.” Shiina Hiyori’s tone returned to calm, but her eyes held a newfound insight. “Shimizu-kun, you clearly have a computer, and it’s probably not a new one—otherwise, you wouldn’t have deliberately led me to the electronics store and intentionally guided my reasoning towards ‘buying a computer.’ That way, your name wouldn’t be on the list, and I wouldn’t have suspected you.”

She touched her smooth chin again with her right hand. "But after thinking about it carefully, the 'buying a computer' clue is actually just one link in the chain. The fastest way to solve the problem is to ask the student council president directly—ask him who he gave the monitoring privileges to. Or, to solve the problem from the perspective of a secondary account, I don't believe you wouldn't think of this."

“However, there are still several things I don’t understand.” Shiina Hiyori’s brows furrowed slightly, confusion like a fine net forming around her eyebrows. “First, I haven’t uttered a single word from beginning to end, so how did you realize I was investigating you? You even went out of your way to get closer to me?”

"Secondly, how did Shimizu manage to accumulate so many points in just a few days after the start of the semester?"

Thirdly, where did you get your computer from?

Akira Shimizu paused slightly, his gaze falling on Hiyori Shiina's tightly pursed lips, and a strange, indescribable feeling welled up in his heart.

It must be said that this girl is kind-hearted.

Even though she had already uncovered the truth, her first reaction was not to rush to Long Yuanxiang to expose everything. Instead, she deliberately sat down to explain the reason to him—she even understood his efforts to earn points. The empathy hidden in her words, "After all, it's Class D," was more heartwarming than any explanation.

And that phrase, "It will always be buried in my heart," was spoken so earnestly, as if making a vow to a secret.

The girl in front of me is truly amazing.

They possess both the tenacity of a detective, capable of uncovering the truth by following the slightest clues; and a rare sensitivity and understanding, knowing how to leave the other party with dignity and leeway when revealing the mystery.

But actually, he originally planned to explain everything to the girl—if it weren't for the message that mysterious person suddenly sent this afternoon, which disrupted all his plans.

“I’m sorry, Shiina-kun, your reasoning is flawed.” Shimizu Akira met her probing gaze, his tone as calm as a still, deep pool, “Because I am not ‘that person’.”

Chapter 168: 165 Shimizu Akira: This is my escape route (5k)

Now, it was Shiina Hiyori's turn to fall into even deeper confusion.

She stared blankly at Shimizu Akira, completely unable to decipher the meaning behind his words. All the testimonies and evidence were laid out before him like a string of pearls, each link connected to the next; how could he possibly receive such a denial? Why was he making excuses? He shouldn't be that kind of person.

"Words are no proof." Shimizu Akira seemed to see through the doubt in her eyes, his tone remaining calm, even carrying a hint of frankness in his suggestion, "How about I take you to my room?"

After a moment of silence, Shiina Hiyori, whose reasoning should have ended with her resounding conclusion, found herself forcibly veered off course.

She looked up at the other person's composed profile, and finally nodded, her voice carrying a barely perceptible tension, "...Okay."

The two walked side by side in the dormitory corridor, the corridor lights casting interlaced shadows on the ground, making their footsteps exceptionally clear.

Hiyori Shiina's mind replayed the interconnected pieces of evidence—the person who bought the smaller account, the efficiency of the spreadsheet, and the computer in the bedroom… Each one seemed like a nail driving the truth into place, but Akira Shimizu's earlier denial was too frank, which made her waver a little.

"We're here." Shimizu Akira stopped in front of room 402, took out his room card from his pocket, and swiped it crisply on the sensor. The door lock clicked softly, and he pushed the door open without the slightest hesitation.

Hiyori Shiina followed closely behind and entered the room. Her gaze was drawn to the desk as if by a magnet. It was completely empty. There was not a laptop, not even a pen or a piece of paper. It was so clean that it seemed deliberate.

Akira Shimizu turned around, his gaze meeting hers. "Look, do I have a computer in my room?" He paused, then added, "Of course, you can also look around the room to see if you can find one."

“…Then I’ll be rude.” Shiina Hiyori hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded. At this moment, her detective mind was in complete control—since she had received her master’s permission, there was no reason to refuse.

She pondered for a moment, then headed towards the bathroom. After carefully scanning the room, she opened the cabinet below to check, then looked up at the ceiling and tapped it with her finger to confirm there was no possibility of a hidden compartment before slowly walking to the center of the room.

Then, after thinking for a moment, she simply squatted down and looked under the bed.

There was nothing inside.

Akira Shimizu's room was almost entirely furnished, with only a wardrobe provided by the school—enough to hide a computer.

(Could the truth be hidden in the closet?!)

The moment the thought popped into her head, her first thought was of a famous scene from Ryukishi07's "Umineko When They Cry".

Shimizu really surprised her once again.

She had a strange feeling that the other person was probably doing it on purpose—just like she had deliberately placed the copy of "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" on the table.

"Just because the cabinet is here, Shiina-kun can make such a deduction?" At this moment, Shimizu Akira asked again.

Shiina Hiyori was taken aback, not expecting that the other person had the same idea as her.

This line was spoken by Erika Furuto.

Unfortunately, just like the twin trick in that work, the wardrobe ended up empty.

She pondered for a moment, then walked straight up and opened the cabinet door. Just as she expected, there was only a school uniform and a tracksuit inside, nothing else.

(Could it be that Shimizu anticipated my prediction and moved the computer in advance?!)

(But when I asked him to come downstairs, he was out the door in only about three minutes! Even if he took the elevator or climbed the stairs, he shouldn't have been ready that quickly!)

(Besides, he can't read minds, so how could he possibly know that I've already guessed his true identity?)

But then she realized that she had only figured this out that afternoon.

(Maybe... he never hid the computer in the room in the first place?)

Hiyori Shiina's fingertips unconsciously traced the wardrobe door, the cool touch making her thoughts even clearer.

She scanned the room again—the empty walls had no shelves, and even under the bed was so clean that you could see the grain of the floor.

Such a space is less about deliberately hiding things and more about the fact that there is nothing to hide in the first place.

"Shiina-kun seems to have thought of something?" Shimizu Akira's voice came from behind, with a hint of barely perceptible laughter.

She turned around abruptly. The other person was leaning against the doorframe, their eyes as calm as a deep pool of water. "What if the computer wasn't in this room in the first place?"

She spoke tentatively, her pace quickening unconsciously, "It took you three minutes to go downstairs, but if the computer wasn't even here, the transfer wouldn't have taken any time at all."

Akira Shimizu raised an eyebrow. "You mean, I would deliberately go out at nine o'clock at night to write spreadsheets at the place where I hide my computer? Putting aside the time it would take to go back and forth, and the trouble of finding a place to hide, the computer's battery life wouldn't last long either. Your reasoning doesn't seem to hold water."

Hiyori Shiina was genuinely taken aback.

The other person actually refuted her with her own reasoning.