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

That's right! She sent the form to the other party at nine o'clock that night. If there was no computer in the room in the first place, then Shimizu would have had to leave her room and run to the place where the computer was hidden to handle it—this logical chain definitely has a loophole.

"Since there's no computer, how did Shimizu-san..." Shiina Hiyori's words caught in her throat.

“It’s easy to fill out forms on a mobile phone,” Shimizu Akira interrupted her, his tone as calm as if he were demonstrating a simple arithmetic problem, while taking his phone out of his pocket. “You don’t necessarily have to use a computer.”

He turned on the screen and deliberately turned the phone towards her. The screen clearly displayed the icon of an office software, with the words "Installed" below it.

Hiyori Shiina's gaze involuntarily drifted over. The icon was indeed a commonly used office app on the market. Although its functions were not as comprehensive as the computer version, it was sufficient for processing spreadsheets.

“This…” She opened her mouth, but her reasoning about “the need for a computer” suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon in her heart.

(What exactly happened...? There were office-related apps. It's unlikely that Shimizu could have predicted my thoughts, and from the moment I stated my reasoning, he hadn't touched his phone at all—meaning he definitely installed those apps beforehand!)

After a moment of contemplation, Shiina Hiyori realized that tracing the problem through the computer was indeed not going to work.

Since this path is blocked, let's try a different approach to find the truth.

“There’s an even simpler way to verify if Shimizu-kun is ‘that person’.” This time, Shiina Hiyori’s gaze was fixed on Shimizu Akira’s phone.

"what way?"

"The income and expenditure records can't be deleted. Just let me see your expenditure records. If there are more than two million in transactions, 'that person' must be you." Shiina Hiyori thought for a moment and said clearly, "'That person's' account should have the student council president in their friend list—after all, the president received money from Ryuen-kun, so logically they would transfer the money to you. And you couldn't have bought the alt account without spending a single point; at least at the time of purchasing the alt account, you must have made a transaction using your main account. If I'm not mistaken, you and your class's Chabashira-sensei definitely had at least one transaction, one of which must have been the expense of buying the alt account."

She certainly wouldn't have only prepared "computer" as her entry point.

The alternate account is also a crucial link in her chain of reasoning.

Of the three pieces of information mentioned earlier, if Shimizu Akira matches any one of them, even if he doesn't have a computer, he must be the one who "purchased surveillance footage from the school".

Especially the last transaction about buying a secondary account—she was almost 100% certain about it.

This was the ultimate trump card she kept hidden in her heart, enough to reverse all reasoning.

Initially, she was mindful of Akira Shimizu's privacy and didn't intend to reveal it directly. But now that the argument about the computer had been refuted, she had no choice but to show her hand.

“Near-perfect evidence…” Shimizu Akira nodded unconsciously, his tone tinged with admiration.

He truly hadn't expected to be pushed into this situation by the other party.

Each of these three inferences is more accurate than the last.

There were indeed several large transfers between his alternate and main accounts; when he added student council president Horikita Manabu, he also used his main account—the president is a respectable person, and it would be too impolite to add him using an alternate account.

In Shimizu Akira's view, the last deduction was a decisive blow.

In a reasoning game, this statement would be enough to overshadow all other conclusions.

That's exactly the case: no matter how you try to avoid the issue, the moment you buy a smaller account, you have to use points from the larger account to complete the transaction.

This is a step that absolutely cannot be avoided, no matter what.

Because transaction records cannot be deleted from this school.

He had been notified when he purchased the new account that the points transfer records were completely transparent to the school, so how could they possibly allow students to delete transaction records privately?

"Since you put it that way, you must have already obtained the student council president's and Class D's homeroom teacher's accounts beforehand, right?"

"Um... not yet." Shiina Hiyori shook her head somewhat awkwardly. She hadn't actually expected things to develop this way.

"Then you can ask Ichinose-san and find out their accounts from her. If I tell you, it might mislead you. Just use my phone to check the relevant information, and you should be able to find out the truth easily."

“…Okay.” Shiina Hiyori nodded, though she wondered why Shimizu Akira could remain so calm, she quickly contacted Ichinose and obtained the two accounts.

She didn't doubt that Ichinose would deliberately send the wrong account—she trusted Ichinose Honami's character.

Moreover, this kind of thing is easy to expose – the teachers' accounts are all verified with their real names.

Shiina Hiyori specifically checked on her phone and, sure enough, saw that Chabashira Sae's account had a real-name authentication mark next to it, which clearly indicated that it was indeed the teacher's account.

"Watch me do it."

As he spoke, Akira Shimizu walked to her side and deliberately turned his phone screen so she could see it clearly.

He first searched for the student council president using the account, but the result showed that no such person could be found.

“This…” Shiina Hiyori froze instantly. Before she could come to her senses, Shimizu Akira opened the transaction history of her phone account.

In the total amount interface, neither the income nor the expenditure amount exceeded 100,000.

But what caught her off guard was yet to come: Shimizu Akira specifically searched for transaction records related to Chabashira Sae's account, but the page was empty, with not a single transaction record.

Hiyori Shiina stared blankly at her phone.

The blank screen was like a mirror, making her previously confident deductions seem somewhat hasty.

How could this be? She had clearly calculated every step—the large transfer, the president's friend slot, the transaction with Teacher Chashu… These pieces of evidence, which should have bound the other party like chains, had now all become broken links.

Not a single one was correct!

“Actually, there’s a crucial oversight in your reasoning just now.” A hint of seriousness crept into Shimizu Akira’s voice, as if he were filling in the final piece of the puzzle for this confrontation. “Students don’t necessarily have to go through their homeroom teacher to buy a smaller size.”

He glanced at Shiina Hiyori's slightly changed expression and continued, "The student council of this school has immense power. Since 'that person' could contact the school through the president to rent surveillance footage, there's no reason why they couldn't directly purchase an account through the student council. After all, bypassing the homeroom teacher is a safer option for them. Therefore, your reason for targeting Class D was actually untenable from the start."

This statement was like a fatal blow, unexpectedly opening up a blind spot in Hiyori Shiina's logical chain.

"This...!" Shiina Hiyori's eyes widened suddenly, and she froze on the spot.

Akira Shimizu is right, the student council does indeed have that authority.

In fact, the moment she saw his phone account, her heart had already softened—the clear registration records and flawless account information almost confirmed that the person in front of her was not "that person".

"I'm sorry... I misunderstood you, Shimizu-san." Her voice lowered, filled with deep regret, "And I was so proud of my reasoning..."

Before she could finish speaking, her cheeks suddenly flushed red, from her ears all the way down to her jawline.

The meticulous analysis and relentless questioning she had just witnessed now seemed like a self-serving farce, making her wish she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

She instinctively lowered her head, her gaze falling on the cracks in the floorboards beneath her toes, her voice trembling with embarrassment: "I was too presumptuous..."

"It's okay, really it's okay." Shimizu Akira waved his hand at her. "There are indeed a lot of suspicious things about me. It's perfectly reasonable for you to suspect me. Now you shouldn't think I'm the one who 'rented surveillance footage,' right?"

"...Um... I'm sorry, I won't bother you any longer... I'll head back now! Um! I'm so sorry! I'm really sorry!"

Shiina Hiyori's voice still carried a hint of lingering shyness. After speaking, she hurriedly turned around and frantically reached for the doorknob.

She practically fled from room 402, and as she closed the door, she could still feel the calm gaze behind her.

The cool breeze in the corridor brushed against her cheeks, but it couldn't dispel the heat that spread from her ears to her neck—the confident reasoning and sharp questioning from before now felt like thorns stuck in her heart, making her feel uneasy with every step she took.

Only after turning the corner of the stairwell, taking the elevator, and returning to her room did Shiina Hiyori collapse onto the bed like a deflated balloon.

"Ugh... How embarrassing." She raised her hand to press her burning cheek, letting out a barely audible sigh. This self-righteous "investigation" ultimately ended in her own humiliation.

So, Shimizu knew from the beginning that she wasn't the "culprit," yet she still went along with her and played along in this detective-suspect drama.

What's more, I was so smug back then, saying things like "I'm not Miss Sherlock Holmes," and even threatening to "let the other party off the hook"... Looking back now, I was just like a child with immature delusions of grandeur.

No way! Even a middle or high school student wouldn't make such a flawed deduction!

"I'm so stupid!" She suddenly covered her face with her hands, feeling the burning heat on her skin through her fingertips. "How am I supposed to get along with Shimizu-san now..."

In the other person's eyes, he was probably just a weirdo who had gone mad from reading detective novels.

However, she felt there shouldn't be any problem.

Tomorrow, the other party will probably still speak to her in the same manner as usual.

"After all... that person clearly knew he wasn't the 'culprit,' yet he still went to such lengths to follow my reasoning and play along with my act."

Embarrassing as it may be, the disappointment of having my reasoning overturned has been replaced by a more subtle emotion.

She couldn't quite explain what kind of feeling it was, but she felt a warm and comforting sensation in her heart.

Just then, her phone vibrated. Shiina Hiyori picked it up and saw that it was a message from Ryuen Sho.

Long Yuanxiang: How's the investigation going with the person who rented the surveillance footage?!

Hiyori Shiina: I'm sorry, my reasoning had a major flaw. I overlooked the situation with the student council. I need to re-examine the information.

Long Yuanxiang: You really are useless. There's no need to investigate this anymore. You've already been given a month, that's long enough.

Long Yuanxiang: Next, you should tutor the other students in Class C. After all, you have excellent grades.

Long Yuanxiang: By the way, my plan is to start targeting Class D from the third month, beginning with those in their class who participate in clubs.

Long Yuanxiang: Especially those members of the sports club who have good grades, those guys are probably all simple-minded and physically strong. If you provoke them a little, they'll probably start a fight.

Long Yuanxiang: I'm telling you this not to ask for your opinion, but because I think you're one of the few smart people in Class C, and I'm just letting you know.

Hiyori Shiina stared at the information on the screen, her brows furrowing slightly.

In the third month, is Long Yuanxiang going to make a move against Class D?

Fortunately, his target seemed to be only those who participated in the club.

So, Akira Shimizu... he probably didn't join any clubs, right?

Chapter 169: 166 Everything Was Within My Calculations (3k)

"call--"

The moment the door closed, the calm and composed expression on Shimizu Akira's face vanished.

He leaned against the door, and the stability he had been deliberately maintaining finally cracked open.

"Shiina's reasoning is absolutely terrifying!"

He couldn't help but show a hint of lingering fear, muttering to himself, "Almost... I really almost got completely turned upside down by her, one move after another! Luckily, I was prepared! I had a trump card up my sleeve!"

He thought for a moment, took out his phone from his pocket, made some gestures on the screen, and dialed his own number.

“Hey,” his voice still carried a hint of tension, “you can come back now.”

"What? Is it all done?" Karuizawa Megumi's questioning voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Mm," Shimizu Akira replied curtly.

"Okay, I'll send your laptop over right away."

Not long after I hung up the phone, there was a knock on the door.

Akira Shimizu opened the door, and there was Kei Karuizawa walking in, holding a laptop and looking puzzled.

"What's going on? You suddenly asked me to take your computer and borrowed my phone." She put the computer on the desk. "But since you promised to protect me for free this month... Now that you're done, can you give me my phone back?"

She reached out her hand, waving her fingertips in front of him, her eyes filled with curiosity awaiting an explanation.

“A ‘detective’ wants to investigate me, and he asked you to take the computer so he could move evidence.” Shimizu Akira pointed to the computer on the table, his tone much calmer. “As for borrowing your phone… that was also to clear his name.”

"Huh? What do you mean?" Karuizawa Kei frowned, clearly not following his train of thought.

“Have you forgotten? All the cell phones in this school are issued by the school.” Shimizu Akira looked up at her. “First-year students don’t know much about cell phones, so almost all of them are the same model. So… even if the ‘detective’ saw me holding your phone just now, he would just subconsciously assume it was mine. That’s only natural.”

He lightly tapped the phone screen with his fingertip, and the moment the screen lit up, it displayed the exact same background interface as the one in Karuizawa Kei's hand, the background of which he had also specially modified.

“Now everything is much easier to handle.” He handed the phone back to her, his tone tinged with relief. “At least now, the ‘detective’ won’t be watching me anymore.”

"I don't understand a word you're saying!" Karuizawa Megumi's fingers tightened around her phone as she muttered, "...What's wrong with my phone? You changed all my information? You changed the profile picture to yours, even the data is yours! You downloaded so many apps, and even your own personal profile—you changed the profile picture and name to a girl's picture? Who is this person? Do you know how much trouble it is to change it back?!"

"Alright, alright, give it to me, I'll fix it." Seeing her expression, Shimizu Akira couldn't help but say, "Thank you so much for your help this time. The protection promise for this month is still valid, and besides that... I owe you a favor, so just say the word."

He did feel a little guilty.

Karuizawa Kei's help was crucial to his success in getting away with it this time. If she hadn't come to him to confirm the "protection" matter, he might not have been able to come up with the two tricks of moving the computer and changing the phone information in such a short time.

To some extent, if she hadn't appeared in time, Shiina Hiyori might have actually discovered something.

Although the detective girl said she would keep it a secret for him.

Akira Shimizu had considered telling the truth, but then he realized that Hiyori Shiina was missing one crucial element—conclusive evidence.

And to be honest, Shimizu Akira himself was also a bit carried away. In a sense, he even hoped that the other party could find real, irrefutable evidence to expose his identity in a fair and square manner.

Switching phones was his last resort. No matter what information the other party came up with about the alternate account, as long as he had someone else's phone and pretended it was "his own," he would never expose any problems.

He hoped she could find evidence of contentment and reach out to him again.

Give him no chance to defend himself and cut off all his escape routes.

Perhaps only this kind of development is possible.

That's what truly deserves the script for "Miss Sherlock Holmes".

As he thought about it, he took the phone from Karuizawa Kei and quickly swiped his finger across the screen to restore the altered information to its original state.

(This guy actually apologized properly?)

Karuizawa Kei inwardly clicked her tongue in amazement, feeling that today's shock could easily rank among the top three "shocking events of the year" since she entered school.