1.

There are those who would willingly expend copious amounts of their energy in their daily lives, be it through sports, romance, studies, or even writing a novel that you may read in future. Then there are those who would rather sit at home and conserve their energy, so as to be able to apply it on things they absolutely have to do. Both ways are fine, I do not discriminate.

However there are times where although it is not absolutely required, it is worthwhile to work for it, whatever it may be. Such is the hallmark of a rose coloured life. I for one though, think that such a situation will ever happen to me, and even if it did I would not expend the energy. After all, I am true to my own life motto: "If I don't have to do it, I won't. If I have to do it, then make it quick."

It was after class, and the afternoon sunlight beat harshly upon the earth, as my friend would poetically put it who incidentally, was walking beside me.

"So Houtarou, it seems that Chitanda-san would be a little late today!"

"Oh? Thats rare..."

"Yeah! Apparently she was called to the staff room due to the club budget being messed up~"

"Is that so...why do we even need a budget?"

And so went our conversation. A long walk after, we stood in a deserted corridor where our club, the classics club was located. Thanks to last years 'incidents', the club and myself especially, have gained a tiresome reputation. Now we also deal with 'mysterious request' as Chitanda so aptly put. Of course I was against the proposal...that was until Ibara came in.

"Quit being so lazy garden slug! If Chi-chan says we will do it then suck it up! She is the president, not you!" she said, all the while having a mischievous gleam in her eyes. Since then, we have had a few adventures and stories. I guess Ibara just wants to play with the mysteries while enjoying the look of torture on my suffering soul.

"Why you looking at me like that Houtarou...like you're pitying me or something"

"Never mind..." I said as we walked in the room. I can only pray for his life in my heart.

"Fuku-chan, where are we going tomorrow?" says the fearsome Ibara.

"Hmm how about the movies Mayaka?"

I sat down at the usual spot, taking out aa book to read. The two love birds will be discussing their plans for tomorrows date. It must have been five minutes when our resident angel burst into the room.

"Oh Chi-cha-"
"Oreki-san!" she yells, completely ignoring her friend, "I'm curious!"

"About what?"

"On the way here, I overheard a group of boys in your classroom discussing something!"

"Like what..."

"I don't know, but one of them said 'Mess up, and you're dead'"

"Sounds dangero-"

"What could he possibly have meant?" she cut me off.

"Why didn't you ask them" at this point, I gave up and continued reading my book while simultaneously replying her.

"I couldn't since it sounded dangerous..."

"So don't bother with it."

"But I'm curi-"

"There is no point in being caught up in something dangerous so forget it. Also it was probably chatter amongst guys anyway."

She simply deflated after that, but I could still see the gleam in her violet eyes, she did not forget it. After that, we just carried on as usual.

"Did you know that clouds are made of water?"

"Fuku-chan, I think only a grade schooler wouldn't know that..."

"Houtarou what do you think?"

"About what?" I said looking up from my book.

"Man were you listening at all?"

"Of course not."

Ibara kicked me from under the table.

"Anyway" Satoshi says "It appears that Tachibana in your class is going to confess to Ihara-san in mine."

"...Who are they?" was all I could reply with.

"Man you really should pay more attention. Tachibana is the vice president for the discipline committee, with Ihara-san the president of the Film club. They are quite famous you know."

"...We had a discipline committee?"

"...Houtarou."

"...Oreki-san."

"...Garden slug."

They said with sad disapproving looks on their faces.

"Of course we do. They are a subsidiary group of the student council whose members are chosen by the council president, the elected head holds the position of vice president. Although they are a part of, they do not generally handle council work. Rather, they focus on upholding, making and improving rules and regulation as well as student safety. During the student recruitment week, it was the disciplinary group that handled the cooking club's food poisoning case."

"Alright sorry for not knowing them okay? Anyway you said something about a confession?"

"Oh yeah, it seems that Tachibana and Ihara-san were close friends, though the film club is known to be a troublesome group for the discipline committee."

"Troublesome?"

"Yeah! So anyway, it has been quite obvious they like each but now they are finally going to be official."

"Don't care."

Of course I got kicked again by Ibara.

"Can't you show more empathy for others? How is a sloth you going to survive when you graduate I wonder!" she puffs.

"Now now Mayaka, I'm sure Oreki-san doesn't mean any harm." I could always count on Chitanda to save me from Ibara.

"Still though," she continued "If it has been obvious, why don't they go out with each other already."

"I guess they have their reasons Chitanda-san, like I guess for now they are comfortable with just being friends instead you know?"

"You would know all about it though..." I remarked.

"Hey I'm going out with Mayaka okay?" was what he would have said if it were not for his girl 'friend'.

"Stop it Fuku-chan! Its embarrassing!" Ibara exclaims, while choking my dear friend in her arms.

I can only pray for his life in my heart.

It was around four twenty when we started to leave.

"Sorry, but I have to send the budget amendment in first. Meet you at the lockers!" Chitanda said before leaving.

"Well I guess lets pack up. Fuku-chan, where is my notebook?"

"Hmm oh I packed yours in by mistake here you go."

Locking the door, we headed down to the lockers.

"I'll return the key."

"Okay Houtarou!"

The golden rays of the evening sun were pouring in the corridors. Somehow though, the scenery did nothing to quell the ominous feeling I had. Quickly returning the key, I returned to the locker room.

"Unforgivable..."

My best friend the cheerful and friendly person, was angry. Very angry. Ibara was looking depressed, Chitanda was looking away.

"What happened?"

"Someone took Mayaka's shoe..."

"..."

"It must be the manga club again. When I find who did this..."

"Please stop Fuku-chan."

"But Mayaka! I can't just let this go!"

"Please just...I don't want any trouble..." Tears were flowing from her eyes now.

Satoshi looks angry, but he concedes. Escorting her home, he says he will buy her a new pair later. Its just me and Chitanda then.

"What happened?"

"Well...someone took Mayaka's shoes..."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah..."

"Okay then..."

The walk was unusually silent, Chitanda just looks down. Worried for Mayaka I suppose.

"Oreki-san, do you want some coffee?" She says suddenly.

"S-Sure..."

We were at the same cafe that we met during the Sekitani Jun case. Somehow, she looks like that time too, like she was thinking hard about something.

"Oreki-san, are you going to solve this case?" she says unusually quiet.

"I guess...Ibara is a friend after all..."

"I see...What are you going to do when you solve it?"

"I guess I'll be really angry?"

"You guess?"

"Well someone hurt my friend after all...though I shudder to think of being friends with Ibara."

"Like during Valentine's day?" Chitanda says, referencing the time I got angry at Satoshi.

"Maybe..."

She nods and sips her mocha latte. I myself was already on my second cup of coffee. Her sad look was too much for me, so I tried to cheer her up.

"So what is this I hear about a mess up in the club budget?"

Her eyes look up and she starts talking slowly at first. Over time, she returns to her usual energetic self.

I arrived home late, dinner was already finished when I sat down to eat my now cold dinner. Big sis was talking on about some romance drama to dad, I was

however, thinking about this case. In my head, I stood in a blank room, and I just started going.

"Who..." Ibara Mayaka and an unknown person.

"When..." After club.

"Where..." The lockers.

"What..." Ibara had her shoes stolen by the unknown person or persons.

"Why..." Bullying? Prank? Mistake? Accident?

I just could not figure out why. Gears turning in my head, still portraits of the crime scene. The key was to figure out the exact circumstances that led to the act being committed.

Showers do wonders when one is thinking, I find. In the bathroom, the warm air and water that envelops the body calms the mind, making everything seem clearer. However without this vital piece, it did no better in helping me think.

The next day, Chitanda was late again. Satoshi said that she was going to finish some things.

"Like what?"

"Dunno. But right now we need to focus on Mayaka's bully!" he says, rage slightly seeping in his voice.

It was Friday, so Mayaka was at the library, which allowed us to work quietly without her knowing.

"It is better if Mayaka does not know. She herself would rather not have us bother with this. But I can't stand it when they bully her, especially with the hard time they gave her last year."

"I agree, but we have no way of knowing the manga club is involved."

"It has to be them. First things first. We must find clues."

He takes out a piece of paper.

"According to Chitanda-san, it would seem only two people were present at the lockers when she walked by towards the staff room, though none of them were near Mayaka's shoes. That was around four thirty."

"I see."

"Also, Mayaka says that she went out during lunch to go to the convenience store."

"It implies that her shoes must be taken after lunch break and before we went down. However, taking someones shoe before school ends is improbable and if someone took it after school, it would have to be when there were few people around."

"Hmm...so we can cut it down to two possibilities huh?"

1) The act was committed between an hour after school, to before Chitanda walked by.

2) The act was committed after Chitanda walked by with the budget amendments.

Of the two, the first option seemed more likely. The problem was, if that were so then it would be harder to resolve this case. Of the entire school, the lockers were one of dew blind spots, since the school installed security cameras overlooking the corridor just after the lockers, but not the locker itself. It would seem like me, Satoshi could not see how this was going to work.

Chitanda came by a few minutes later. Although she seemed rather reserved, she helped out either way.

"I need to use the bathroom" I say standing up. An hour has gone by and we were at the exact same place as when we started. Walking down the stairs, I walked towards the back of the building. Sitting down on the pavement, I simply closed my eyes and relaxed.

"..." did I hear someone?

Walking towards a corridor, I found Tachibana crying.

"You alright...?" I asked weakly.

"O-Oh yeah...Oreki-kun right? Yeah I'm fine."

Looking at him, he seemed depressed. He had what appears to be a couple of pink tickets to some amusement park. Girlfriend?

"Your confession didn't go well I take it."

"How did you know? I mean what?" he exclaims jumping up.

"Well look, you have two pink tickets beside you that are for next week. I can only imagine you were going with your girlfriend or something. But I recently heard from Satoshi that you and Ihara-san were rather close." I said

"...Well...you're not wrong." he says, "As expected of the Kamiyama detective."

"What?"

"Thats you're nickname. After you helped the student council during the cultural festival last year, you became quite the celebrity you know" he says "Also the Empress speaks very highly of you."

"Irisu sempai did...?"

"Yeah."

Well that was troubling. If Irisu was in on this, that would attract a load of unwanted attention. In fact, the 'Mystery requests' seems to be increasing in frequency lately.

"Anyway, what about your confession?"

"Well you see I asked her to meet me here, but she didn't show."

"How did you ask"

"I sent a letter of course...I'm rather nervous about this things you see."

"I see, did she know it was you who sent it?"

"Yeah of course. I wrote my name, time and place. I even made sure she was in school before I had the letter slipped into her shoe locker."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Planned everything and nothing." he says dejectedly. Standing up, he starts to leave, but I stop him.

"Wait, what time did you send the letter?"

"Hmm, before four twenty five why?"

"Nothing. Also did you see anyone around?"

"N-No...whats with all the questions?" he asks suspiciously.

"Nothing never mind."

It was a warm day, a cool breeze blew from the mountain ranges, providing much needed comfort from the heat. Even so, this case was more troublesome than I had first expected.