Chapter 10
The Transfer Student (1)
"It's useless…" Asagi lay his head on the desk soullessly. Not far from his head, there were books and papers full of scientific scribbles scattered around. Asagi had been trying hard to relearn math and science. While he did not have too much problem relearning math and biology, he did have a big problem when it came to physics and chemistry. Particularly chemistry. It had been years since the last time he learned about chemical compounds and their formulas, so he had to learn and memorize them again from zero. There were so many basics about chemistry that he had forgotten. He had no idea what the covalent bond was or why this compound was acid yet the other was alkali. He did not understand anything about Dalton's theory. He could not recall how to read the periodic table. He was truly like a complete beginner in chemistry. Asagi had been studying as diligently as he could, but with his current pace, it would be impossible for him to catch up with the lesson in class. He should be able to work on sophomore level since he was a sophomore, but sadly he found out that even the freshman level was still too difficult for him.
"I'm done for," he whined pitifully in the quiet library. It's the end… there's no hope anymore…
He thought he could do it without much problem because he had done it once. He thought it would not be this hard. Oh how wrong he was! He had clearly overestimated himself!
Asagi sulked, doing nothing but sitting in the library as he lay his head on the desk. He was so tired and disappointed and depressed. He felt so hopeless. Before, he did consider hiring a tutor, but when he thought about it again, he was reluctant to ask his new parents to hire a tutor for him because they were not exactly his parents. On the other side, he himself was only a student without his own salary who was still dependent on his parents. In the end, he tossed aside his idea to hire a tutor, leaving him only with a single choice: to study more diligently. However, he soon learned that he could not make significant progress by learning alone. He needed someone to teach him, but he had no idea who could teach him for free since he could not possibly hire anyone to teach him. Asagi had thought to get a part-time job, but later he also discarded that idea because getting a part-time job would only lessen his time for studying. He was at a dead end. Asagi had no idea what to do anymore.
"Found you!"
A familiar voice of a girl followed by a tap on his shoulder surprised him. Asagi glanced at his side, seeing Yoshino smiling widely at him. Behind her, there were also Asakura and Inaba. Asagi frowned. He did not recall the student council had a meeting today. Besides, it was already late. Why were they still at school?
"What?" Due to his bad mood, he sounded annoyed when he asked them even though he did not mean to.
"What's with that tone?" Inaba replied with an offended look, clearly managed to pick up the president's mood but refused to yield. "You didn't answer your phone, didn't reply to our texts. Turns out you are… what? Sleeping in the library? Just what the hell are you doing?"
"Oh." Asagi glanced at his bag this time. "I muted my phone. I need to concentrate."
"Concentrate my ass! What's so hard about answering your phone or replying to our texts? It wouldn't even take more than five minutes!" the vice president almost roared. "Hey, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"Be quiet. This is the library," the president looked unfazed as he reprimanded his vice president although inwardly, he was surprised when Inaba scolded him that fiercely. It was his first time seeing him getting angry. "And no, I wasn't purposely ignoring you. Like I said, I needed to concentrate. Besides, school has finished when I muted my phone. We don't have any appointment either, so I don't see why I can't mute my phone."
"You—!" Inaba looked like he wanted to argue again, but before he could say anything, the treasurer beside him cut him off.
"Are you studying, President?" Asakura asked as she glanced at the books and papers on the desk. "Chemistry?"
"Yeah. So, Inaba, I wasn't sleeping," Asagi answered.
"Do you have a test coming up, President? Is that why you need to concentrate?" the treasurer asked again.
"No. I want to study and that's why I need to concentrate."
"Even when there isn't any test soon?"
"Yes." Asagi then looked at his three friends one by one. "So? Why are you here?"
"Well, I sent a chat in our group after school. It's about a transfer student in my class," Yoshino said. "You haven't read it, have you?"
"I haven't. Sorry." Asagi had a premonition again. He had a feeling he knew who the transfer student in Yoshino's class was. "Who's the transfer student?" he asked as he took out his phone from his bag, checking the new texts in the student council chat group.
"Her name is Sera Masumi. She came from America," she replied at the same time when Asagi read the exact same information in the chat group. Just like what he thought before, the transfer student was really Sera.
"And?"
"She's also a high school detective," the secretary continued. "And she asked a lot about Kudo-kun."
"Oh?" Asagi sharpened his attention. "Tell me more."
Actually, he was not surprised by this new info. He had expected Sera to be curious about Shinichi. After all, that was what happened in the manga, but when he heard it from her classmate with his own ears, he found himself being interested to hear more in case there were some things that were not mentioned in the manga.
"That's what I thought as well. I feel like I need to tell all of you, but I only remembered about it after school. I'm sorry," Yoshino said again, this time with her head bowing guiltily, but she did not do it for long before she spoke again, "I sent a chat to our group as soon as I remembered, but Inaba-kun and Kaede-chan had club activity while you never replied, President. I myself was busy interviewing the karate club after school—you know recently they won the Kanto championship—so I thought we wouldn't be able to talk about her today, but then Inaba-kun and Kaede-chan agreed to meet up with me as soon as their club activity had finished. Since you're the only one left, President, and as far as we know, you have no extra activity today, we thought you already went home. It was not a problem though, since we could just meet up with you outside the school and even if you somehow can't meet up, we can always discuss it in our chat group or plan a meeting at another time, but still, Inaba-kun said that the sooner we discuss it, the better. We texted you and called you after we were done with the club activity, but you never responded. We got worried after we noticed you never read the chat I sent after school. We thought something bad had happened to you."
"I see. I'm truly sorry," Asagi apologized, feeling both guilty and awkward when he realized he had worried them. Maybe he really should not have muted his phone. It was a habit he had developed through his career as a novelist since he needed to focus when writing. Old habits die hard. Maybe he needed to tone it down since his current role was not a novelist, but a student. "Then how did you find me here?" he then asked.
"The librarian on duty today is my friend," Asakura answered. "We bumped into each other when she was returning from the toilet just now, just on time before we decided to call your home. She got curious when she saw the three of us together without you, so she asked why you weren't with us even though you were still in school."
"So that's how you found me. She must've told you I'm here," Asagi nodded before hurriedly tidying his papers and books. "Since we've met up now, where should we talk?"
"I don't think we can use our room. The school will be closed soon," Inaba told them.
"Let's go to Poirot! We weren't with Kaede-chan last time," Yoshino suggested.
"Poirot…?" Asagi frowned. For some reason, he had a bad feeling when Yoshino mentioned that café this time.
"I don't mind. It's not too far from school, perfect as our rendezvous spot," Asakura agreed. After that, Inaba also agreed with the girls. The only one who had not said anything was Asagi.
"President? What do you think?" Yoshino asked. Asagi was hesitating. Honestly, he did not want to go there this time. He felt uneasy when he thought they would have to go to Poirot. He was worried his uneasiness had something to do with the story plot. After all, Sera just transferred to Teitan today which meant there should be a case or two following her closely. He thought it would be best if they avoided places that were often featured in the manga for the time being because he did not want to get caught up in crime case just because he ran into her and other characters accidentally.
"Are you sure?" he finally asked them back after making up some reasonable excuses in his head. "That place is right below Mouri's home. What if she hears us talking about Sera and Kudo? Or maybe she won't hear us, but what if the waiter there overhears us and then tells her about us? Besides, we're going to talk about Kudo. What if other customers hear us?"
"That makes sense," Asakura nodded thoughtfully. "But if we can't go there, where should we talk? In one of our houses?"
"Better not go to mine," Inaba immediately refused. "My family own a cat. Asakura, you're allergic to cat's fur, right?"
"Yes," The treasurer admitted. "My home may not be the best choice either. It's in the opposite direction from all of your home. You'll have to walk a long way when return."
"You can't trust my family if we're going to talk about Kudo. Remember my dad is a journalist and we have a nosy little girl at home," Asagi told them. "What about you, Yoshino?"
My home is the farthest, you know? You need to ride on a bus."
The four of them fell into silence after discovering that none of them had a suitable home to be used as their basecamp. When Yoshino suggested booking a karaoke room for an hour, Inaba and Asagi did not agree because it would cost them their allowance. Besides, there was no guarantee they would really end the meeting after an hour since karaoke-ing could be addicting. After considering every option they had, they settled on Asagi's home. His home was not too far from the school and as long as they could have a private discussion in his room, everything should be fine. They could also make up some excuses to get rid of the nosy little girl. All in all, Asagi's home was the best choice they could find.
Once they made their decision, the student council did not dilly-dally any longer. They immediately headed to Asagi's home. The sky was almost dark, so they did not dare to waste more time. They considered the girls' situation in which one of them had the farthest home while the other was also had to walk quite far to reach home. Even though Asakura had said that time and distance were not a problem to her because he could ask her family driver to pick her up (Asagi was surprised when he heard this. He did not know Asakura was that rich), they still had to consider Yoshino who needed to ride on a bus. They could not let her miss it. That was why they were in a hurry. The sooner they finished their business, the sooner they would be able to go home.
When Asagi and his friends arrived, both his mother and sister were surprised because they were not told that he would bring friends home. Even so, they welcomed them all warmly. Akari was even excited and curious at the same time, staring at his brother's friends without any reservation. Unfortunately, she could not satisfy her curiosity because not long after they arrived, Asagi brought all his friends into his room and forbade her from coming in because they were "studying".
"It's too bad she can't join us. Akari-chan is so cute I want to hug her so bad!" Yoshino remarked when they were already alone in Asagi's room.
"She isn't shy or afraid even though we're strangers," Asakura commented. "Your sister is quite brave, President."
"I won't say she's brave," Asagi replied as he tidied the room a bit so that there would be some space for his friends to sit down. "She's just ignorant and has no sense of danger. She'll go along with anyone as long as they're kind to her. She's the type that's easy to get kidnapped."
"That's like me when I was little," Inaba said amusedly. "My parents told me I never cried when strangers carried me."
"Yeah, she's more or less like that."
Actually, Asagi did not know how his sister behaved when she was younger, so he really could not tell whether or not she would cry if a stranger carried her. But after living together with her for more than a week, Asagi managed to grasp her basic personality. Akari was gullible and innocent. She would do anything as long as Asagi praised her or bribed her with something. She often asked him about spiders if he made unusual acts, but she never meant to scare or offend him. She simply asked out of curiosity without any ulterior motive, proving that she still had no sense of propriety. That was why, when Asakura said that her sister was brave, Asagi did not agree with her because to him, his sister simply did not know the meaning of fear yet. Someone who did not know fear clearly did not deserve to be called brave.
"By the way, you all talk like you haven't met my sister before," Asagi said after he recalled their brief talk about Akari.
"Maybe because we really haven't," Asakura replied. "I don't know about the others, but this is my first time meeting your sister."
"Me too!" Yoshino added.
"This is also my first time," Inaba said. "We know you have a little sister, but we've never met her before."
"Hmm, I see," Asagi gave a short response, but inside, he was thinking about what they had said for quite a while. It was a bit unexpected that his friends had not met Akari yet considering her school was just next door to theirs. Not to mention the pair of brother and sister often went to school together. Also, there was a festival in Teitan High not too long ago. Did she not come that day? Or perhaps she did come, but the student council did not see her?
Well, maybe the student council only met her today, but who knows about the others? Perhaps his classmates had already met her.
After tidying his room, Asagi let his friends take their seats on the floor around a small round table. His room was not big in the first place, so when there were three more people inside, he felt his room was already crowded.
"Alright," he started after they were all seated. "Yoshino, please tell us about the transfer student."
Yoshino soon explained about Sera from the beginning. She told them again that her name was Sera Masumi, that she came from America, that she currently lived in a hotel, and that she wanted to be a detective. Someone from their class even nicknamed her the female Kudo. It was then Sera began questioning her new classmates about Kudo.
"My classmates told her that he's taking a break to solve a difficult case. They also told her that he, Ran-chan, and Sonoko-chan are childhood friends. They even told her about the confession," Yoshino said. "I've warned her not to speak about him casually, especially outside the school. I also told her the reason. That's the second time I warned my classmates."
"And her reaction is?" Inaba asked.
"Well, she seemed cooperative, but since she's also a detective, I doubt she won't try to find out more about Kudo-kun outside the school."
"That's right. Perhaps we shouldn't have any expectation in her," Asakura agreed. "Do you have her photo?"
"Yes. Wait a moment." Yoshino took out her phone, looking for the transfer student's photo she had taken. After she found the photo, she showed it to her friends. On the monitor, Asagi could see a short-haired girl with a cheery expression posing to the camera. There was no mistaking it, that girl was Sera Masumi.
"What kind of person is she?" Asagi asked, wanting to make sure of her personality.
"She's cheerful, easy-going, and tomboyish. All in all, she seems nice and likable," the secretary answered, confirming that Sera's personality was not different from the manga. "Oh, right! She also practices martial art. Mmm… what's its name again? Something Jee and Do… What was it again?"
"Jeet Kune Do," Asagi finished her. It was confirmed now that Sera in this world was also a martial artist just like her portrayal in the manga.
"Yes! Jeet Kune Do. Ran-chan told us she's strong. She and Sonoko-chan have met her before on a case."
"What about club activity? Has she decided on one?" This time it was Inaba who asked.
"As far as I know, she hasn't."
"Kudo, Mouri, Suzuki, and now we have Sera. Seriously, Sumire-san, your class is full of troublemakers," Asakura remarked helplessly. "I guess this means we have one more person under special watch."
"Yeah," Asagi agreed before turning his sight to the secretary. "Yoshino, I have to trouble you to watch over Sera as well. Can I count on you?"
"Sure, sure. Watching three people at once, of course you can count on me," the secretary responded with a half annoyed and half dejected look. It was clear she was not pleased with her new duty, but she also knew there was nothing she could do.
"But you don't need to push yourself too hard for them," Asagi added. "As we all know, Kudo's been in touch with Mouri and Mouri often tells Suzuki about Kudo. We also know that Sera is a detective, so I doubt all of them will truly listen to you, Yoshino. It will be enough as long as your other classmates still heed your warning or at least try to since we have no authority to force them. Just please watch over those three girls. They are far more important since Mouri and Suzuki are the primary sources of rumors about Kudo and Sera has the potential to be another one if she decides to investigate Kudo. Whatever that comes out from their mouth, if it's related to him, we have to pay attention so that we can immediately take care of it if it's dangerous."
"You mean I don't need to do anything to those three other than watching them?"
"Yes. You may remind them and your other classmates from time to time, but no need to force them to obey as long as the rule hasn't been established. We don't want to antagonize them. We also don't want to antagonize the whole school just because we appear too harsh."
"Okay," Yoshino nodded, looking a bit relieved. Asagi was also relieved when he saw her no longer sulking. He could only count on her to watch over Ran, Sonoko, and Sera since she was the only one who was in the same class as them, but he also did not want to burden her especially when he knew those girls would never listen to their warning. That was why he told her that as long as her classmates listened to her, it was enough. No need to have expectation in Ran, Sonoko, and Sera because they were unlikely to follow their warning. Whatever they did, the student council would just have to deal with its repercussion. Asagi did not like this situation, but knowing what happened in the manga, he had no other choice. He really could not put his trust in them.
After that, they were interrupted by Asagi's sister who knocked on her brother's door and told him that he was being called by their mother. Asagi had to leave for a moment to answer his mother. It turned out that his mother had prepared some refreshments for his friends and that she wanted him to tell his friends to have dinner with them. Asagi took the refreshment to his room followed by his curious sister. Akari wanted to join his brother's group so bad she offered to help his brother carry the tray, but Asagi refused, fearing the little girl would not be able to hold it steadily. In the end, after she failed in persuading her brother, Akari could only retreat in disappointment.
"You're so heartless, President," Yoshino complained when she saw the little girl leaving dejectedly. "At least do it gently, gently. Don't be too strict with her."
"You heard how she begged me to let her in. She wouldn't stop if I refused her gently," Asagi replied her as he put down the tray on the small table. His mother had prepared them four mugs of hot green tea and a bowl of potato chips. "Don't worry, you can play with her during dinner."
Hearing the last sentence, everyone was astonished.
"Dinner?" the secretary repeated uncertainly.
"Yes. My mother asks you all to stay for dinner."
"Well, if you don't mind, then thanks," Inaba gladly took up the offer. After that, the girls also accepted it gratefully. Asagi went out again briefly to inform his mother that all of his friends had agreed to stay for dinner before he returned to his room.
"Let's continue. Where were we?" he said as soon as he sat down, resuming their discussion.
"You asking me to watch over Sera," Yoshino answered.
"Right. Hmm…" Asagi frowned, thinking what else he needed to say. "Well, we all know that since she's a detective and curious about Kudo, she'll try to get some info about him from others in our school. Yoshino already informed her to keep quiet about Kudo, so to her, perhaps we're currently the most suspicious students in school. We need to bear in mind that she may approach all of us to gain info about Kudo."
"She may approach us, but it isn't as if we know much about Kudo," Inaba pointed out. "All we know is that we need to keep quiet about him because he seems to be involved in a serious and dangerous case. If she wants to know more about him, she better asks Mouri or Suzuki."
"True, but she may not necessarily think the same and we may not necessarily look that clueless to her."
Inaba frowned. "Even when we tell her that we know nothing?"
"Yes. Even when all of us tell her that we know nothing, she may still suspect that we do know something about him."
"Why?" Asakura asked with a demanding look as the other two gave him the same expression added with some curiosity. Seeing that, Asagi smiled, feeling somewhat happy that his friends took his words seriously. He straightened his back again, looking more serious this time as he stared at his friends one by one.
"Let me explain."
~o0o~
I'm back! Sorry for the long wait. I can't promise I will update regularly. It may take a long time for the next chapter since I have to work to make a living. I hope you can be patient with me.
Anyway, thank you so much for reading, and thank you so much for your support! Please leave a comment or review and let me know what you think about this chapter. See you in next chapter!
