* * *

“Excuse me.”

Clang!

The one who barged into the reception room, opening the door roughly without even knocking, his voice lacking energy, was a young man of average height and build.

His dull, reddish-brown hair reached his shoulders, and his half-open eyes showed no motivation whatsoever.

“You’re Yarkinek Akutaitsuku-san, right? Please, have a seat…”

And before Akashiterika could even finish offering him a seat, Yarkinek plopped down on a guest chair.

And then, sinking deep into the chair, he said curtly—

“I’m not the culprit. Can I go home now?”

* * *

“…I left here around 6 PM yesterday. I came to work around 8:30 AM this morning. There was already a commotion about a thief or something. It’s crazy, right?”

However, such a claim naturally wouldn’t be accepted.

Coaxed by Akashiterika, who is much younger than him, Yarkinek reluctantly answered her questions, twirling his hair with his fingers.

“And I was drinking with a friend last night, and stayed over at his place, so, you know, I have an alibi? It’s confirmed. So? Can I go home now?”

“Please bear with me for a little longer.”

“That’s crazy.”

Yarkinek, seemingly irritated by Akashiterika, who was smiling but not accepting his claims, clicked his tongue and lightly kicked the table.

But Akashiterika is experienced.

Without showing any signs of being flustered, she glanced at the investigation report.

“…It seems you have some debts, right?”

She cut to the chase.

“W-W-What does that… have to do with anything… !?”

…Hit where it hurts, Yarkinek was visibly flustered.

He looked away from Akashiterika, and frowned.

“It might be related, or it might not be. This is an interview, to find out. Can you please cooperate? It’s for your own good too.”

Akashiterika, smiling at Yarkinek, asked for his cooperation.

“So crazy…”

Yarkinek slumped his shoulders in despair and ruffled his hair.

“No… Seriously, I don’t know anything. Sure, I have debts, but I’m not the culprit. Right? That wolf girl, she was working overnight, right? Then she’s the culprit.”

And he irresponsibly shifted the blame to his colleague.

“No, no… Why would she steal anything?”

“Why!? Don’t you know, she’s a total relic maniac!? She’s a maniac before she’s a researcher! Right? Her maniac spirit couldn’t be contained, so she stole them or something!”

“Relic maniac?”

That wasn’t in the investigation report.

Akashiterika narrowed her eyes slightly, and quietly listened to Yarkinek’s words.

“Her room is so full of relics that she can barely walk. Living dolls, plates, jeweled crowns… She probably wanted them. So she stole them.”

“Hmm… Then where did she hide them…? Ah.”

Akashiterika, about to ask another question, trying to get more information out of Yarkinek, who had started talking more…

Suddenly stopped, as if she had realized a certain possibility.

“Where did she hide them!? I don’t know! That’s your job to find out!”

Yarkinek, not noticing Akashiterika’s reaction, said that in an irritated voice, and snorted.

…And then—

“Oh, but that woman… can’t disable the security system, can she? Then it’s simple. The culprit is that deputy director guy. He knows how to disable it.”

And this time, he shifted the blame to Deputy Director Gaisha.

“…Certainly, the deputy director knows how to disable the security system. But he doesn’t have a motive, does he?”

“Heh! Stress relief!? That guy has been really irritated lately!”

And Yarkinek, again, irresponsibly shifted the blame to his colleague.

“Irritated, you say?”

“Even today, he was tightening his tie, wasn’t he? That’s a sign of irritation. When he’s alone, that guy kicks the walls of his room! It’s really scary, since he usually puts on a good face! He seems like a perfectionist, so he would never show that side of him in public!”

“Hmm…”

This too, wasn’t in the investigation report.

“…By the way, do you know when the deputy director started getting irritated?”

“Huh? I don’t know… At least, since the director went on his trip… That guy is really sneaky. He indirectly pushes his work onto his subordinates, makes them suffer, and relieves his stress that way. So crazy, right? Even yesterday, that wolf girl was working all night, right? That’s his fault.”

“Eh?”

Yarkinek talks a lot.

And what he just said is clearly different from what Kotsukotsu Plumuna said.

Akashiterika, her eyes wide, asked—

“Wait. Wasn’t the change in the special exhibition’s content decided without a clear proposer, just through the flow of conversation?”

“Huh…? …Did you hear that from the wolf girl? Haha, well, I guess she wouldn’t notice… That guy is good at pushing his work onto others without them noticing.”

“…Then why do you know about that?”

“Well, that’s my way of getting by in life. And with yesterday’s work, that old man was probably actually trying to push it onto me, you know? Because he really hates me! Haha, I managed to dodge it! Hahaha!”

“.………..”

Yarkinek, saying that, chuckled happily.

And Akashiterika, hearing his testimony, put her hand on her chin, and quietly started thinking about something.

“…You… aren’t you… a terrible person…?”

At this point.

Detective Munodes, unusually cut in, his face showing a rare look of disgust.

“Huh? What kind of question is that? Is that part of the investigation? Is my personality evidence of a crime?”

Yarkinek, speaking in a playful tone, as if talking to a child, provoked Detective Munodes!

“What… What did you say!? Alright, I’ve decided! You’re the culprit!”

“E-Ehhh!? W-Wait, what!? W-What’s with that!? I-Isn’t that unprofessional as a detective!?”

Detective Munodes, enraged by the provocation, stood up, his face red, and took out his magic handcuffs from his pocket!

And Yarkinek, despite being the one who provoked him, was trembling, his face pale!

He seems to be unexpectedly timid.

“Calm down.”

Here, Emi quickly moved.

At a speed invisible to the eye, she took the dried squid from Detective Munodes’ pocket, and shoved it into his mouth!

“Mugomugo, mugooo……”

“That concludes your interview. Please return to the staff room.”

And while Emi was forcing Detective Munodes back into his chair, Akashiterika, smiling, urged Yarkinek to leave.

Thus, the third interview ended.