* * *

Now, back in the treasure vault.

Akashiterika, entering the room with Emi, Detective Munodes, and Director Rakigataa, glanced at the remaining treasures, and then… crouched down near the pedestal where the Frozend Living Dolls were kept, and started examining something.

“Heyyy, hey, hey, Akashiterika-chaaan… So, who’s the culprit?”

Detective Munodes, seemingly bored with the investigation, asked Akashiterika, yawning.

Akashiterika, silently holding up her hand to silence him, asked Director Rakigataa a question.

“Director. Did anyone know that you were returning today?”

“H-…?”

Director Rakigataa involuntarily let out a small voice at the unexpected question.

However, it’s not something he particularly wants to keep secret.

Although he didn’t understand the intent of the question, he honestly answered.

“Everyone… except for Jimmyyak-dono, the security guard who was dispatched from elsewhere, probably knew. I sent a letter beforehand…”

“I see… That’s why the crime was committed last night.”

Hearing that answer, Akashiterika, still with her eyes closed, slowly stood up, crossed her arms, and muttered that.

“Eh, eh, eh? Wait, wait, what do you mean? Explain!”

Turning to Detective Munodes, who, without even trying to think for himself, immediately asked for an explanation, Akashiterika opened her eyes and nodded deeply.

“Very well. Then, listen carefully. To the truth of this case, deduced by the Beautiful Girl Detective, Akashiterika!”

* * *

“As we just organized in the treasure vault, there are several big mysteries surrounding this case. ‘Who is the culprit?’, ‘Why did the culprit steal the treasures?’… and there’s one more.”

“One more?”

“Yes… ‘Where did the stolen treasures disappear to?’”

Akashiterika, pacing around the treasure vault, answered Emi, who tilted her head and chimed in, without looking at her.

“If Security Guard Jimmyyak’s testimony is true, then no one took the treasures outside last night. That means that the treasures are still hidden somewhere inside this museum.”

“W-Wait a minute, please. Gufufu… That’s impossible, right?”

Director Rakigataa interrupted Akashiterika, who was speaking fluently.

“Before Akashiterika-sama arrived, the police, although briefly, searched the museum. Ah… certainly, this museum is old, and there are many hidden mechanisms passed down from our ancestors, so it might be possible to hide relatively small items like Teodartes’s Plate and the Superbad Jeweled Crown… but the Frozend Living Dolls are a different story. After all, they’re life-sized… and there are five of them. There’s no way to hide them, is there?”

“That’s right. That’s why I was so troubled… As the director said, the Frozend Living Dolls are too big to hide… but as I interviewed the staff members, I came up with a hypothesis.”

“Hypothesis?”

Ignoring Detective Munodes, who repeated the word with a puzzled look, Akashiterika once again crouched down beside the pedestal where the Frozend Living Dolls were placed, and stroked it with her finger.

“Yes. And now, after reexamining this treasure vault, that hypothesis has been confirmed… Take a look.”

Akashiterika, saying that, showed everyone the index finger she had used to stroke the pedestal.

“As you can see, there’s a thin layer of dust on the pedestal.”

“Hmm, so what?”

“That means that there should be footprints on this pedestal… The footprints of the five Living Dolls. But… Everyone, look!”

Akashiterika, saying that, extended her hand, pointing at the pedestal, guiding their gazes!

There’s just a pedestal.

…A pedestal evenly covered in dust, with no footprints!

“As you can see, there are no traces of the Living Dolls being placed here! …In other words!”

Akashiterika, standing up abruptly, crossed her arms, puffed out her chest, and grinned!

“The Living Dolls weren’t taken from this room last night… but much, much earlier!!”

She stated her deduction!

““W-What!?””

A shocking truth, revealed along with the undeniable evidence of the dust on the pedestal!

Detective Munodes and Director Rakigataa were shocked, their eyes wide, and involuntarily shouted in unison!

But!

The one who was even more flustered and agitated than the two of them, for some reason, was… Emi!!

“Eh, h-s-su… No, I didn’t steal them, I’m not the culprit, I’m not a thief…!”

Emi, although still expressionless, started frantically backing away, and rapidly defending herself, like a true culprit whose crime has been exposed!

“…? I’m not suspecting you, Emi. Although we’ll have to investigate why the Living Dolls disappeared later… Anyway!”

Akashiterika, tilting her head at Emi’s behavior, cleared her throat, and continued.

“What I’m trying to say is that the Frozend Living Dolls disappeared at a different time than the other two treasures. And if we think about it that way, we can find a logical answer to the two big mysteries of this case… ‘Who is the culprit?’, and ‘Why did the culprit steal the treasures?’…”

“U-Uuuunn!? Don’t beat around the bush, Akashiterika-chan!?”

Here, Detective Munodes, tilting his head from side to side, yelled!

“So, who’s the culprit!?”

“According to my deduction…”

Akashiterika carefully prefaced her statement.

“The culprit of this Superbad Treasure theft case… is…”

However, her voice was strong and confident.

“Deputy Director Gaisha… That’s who it is!!”

She clearly declared!

“W-W-Wait a minute!!”

But someone interrupted her deduction!

It’s Emi!

“Why!? Why does the Living Dolls disappearing earlier mean that Deputy Director Gaisha is the culprit!?”

Emi, emitting an aura of irritation, desperately questioned Akashiterika!

“It’s only natural that you’d have that question, if I just state the conclusion without explaining. I’ll explain now.”

Akashiterika nodded deeply, looked around at the three people in the treasure vault… and began to explain the whole picture of the case, as she saw it.