After the deity left, I left the room and walked to the PMC room to check on Suzuna and Mimi's progress. Then coincidentally, I met Suzuna going down the stairs. It was a good thing she noticed me first because I didn't know how to react if it were me.
"Going to the council room?" she asked.
I nodded in response.
"Seriously..." she sighed, "Sooner or later, you're gonna have to talk to girls."
As much as I hate to admit it, she was right. But it wasn't really the fact that she's a girl that prevented me to talk. It's because of my fear: Parthenophobia. Technically, I can talk to girls, but only girls with... popped cherries... And it's all because of the video our uncle showed me and Mako...
Anyway, we headed to the council room together. When we arrived, we saw Mimi looking outside the window, with her arms on her back.
"Mimi-sama~!" Suzuna screamed while running towards her.
"D-don't come any closer!"Mimi exclaimed, flustered.
She was acting strange, as if she didn't want us to notice something. But she made it so obvious by pulling her skirt down.
"D-don't tell me...!"
Judging by her reaction, I reckon she lost something under her skirt. I kept quiet about it, but Suzuna revealed it anyway.
"You lost your panties?!"
Then she punched me sky high, "SHUT UP!!!"
"I didn't say anything!"
"After recovering from her kick, I asked what happened. She hesitated to talk, but after a little push, she told us anyway.
"It all started after 3rd period. I left the classroom to go to the restroom. Then, while I was doing my business, a gust of wind passed through my legs. And just like that... It was gone!"
"I see..."
How odd... I though for sure the thief would go to the locker rooms. Did he see through my plan? But why did he take Mimi's, all while she was doing her business? Nothing added up...
"So it's still expo-"
"I'm wearing a pair!" she said, "I always have a spare!"
While lost in thought, Mako entered the room, irritated.
"Sorry for being late..." he said, "I went to the restroom."
"Oh, that's right!" Suzuna suddenly exclaimed, "The restroom on the second floor was closed due to plumbing issues."
Mimi then responded, "I know, that's why I went to the first floor to do my business."
Then it hit me: If Mimi went to the first floor restroom...
"I know who the culprit is."
Then the three of them turned to me, surprised, "R-really?!"
"Well, I don't know who it is exactly... But I do know who it might be based on my deduction."
In order to explain further, I made them follow me to the first floor, near the staircase, beside the restroom.
"So, what did you want to show us?" Mimi asked.
"Look to your left."
"...It's the restroom, so what?" Suzuna responded.
I ignored her response unintentionally and asked them to look at the room in front of the restroom.
"It's our classroom." Mako answered.
"Correct. Now if you follow me to this hallway..."
I had them walk to the hallway going to the right wing and stopped in front of the gym locker rooms.
"What's the point of all this?" Suzuna asked.
Once again, I ignored her and explained it to the others.
"Which class did we pass through?"
"It was my class. Why?" Mako asked.
"Good, it'll make things easier."
"Make what easier?"
"Catching the culprit."
They were all still lost in my explanation. I had to start from the beginning.
"First, let's analyze the scene of the crime: The restroom and locker rooms. If a student were to go to either rooms through the staircase, they'd have to pass through the faculty room. That room has a window, so the teachers could spot anyone going to and from the hallway."
I took a deep breath and continued. I don't usually talk for too long, so giving explanations were a bit too tiring for me.
"The only way you can pass through is if you stay in this spot."
Amazed, Suzuna commented, "How did you figure that out?!"
Through Mako, I replied, "If you've loitered in the halls multiple times, I think you'd know every detail of the school."
"True, but I did my routine around the school." Mimi rebuked, "I should've seen him if he left the classroom."
"Yes, you should have... But you patrol the halls in an orderly manner. You follow a certain pattern, which makes it easier for the culprit to walk to the hallways without being caught."
"R-really?" He asked.
"Also, don't forget you went in the bathroom and stole yours as well."
"O-oh..." she reacted.
"Besides, even if you did see the culprit, he'd still be able to steal the panties."
"How?" They asked.
"Simple. A bathroom break."
"What?" Mako asked, "It was that simple?"
"Yep. But not anyone can just do it. Only those from Class 1-A. Mako, tell me: Do you have a classmate who frequents to the toilet?"
Mako thought about it for a while and answered, "Come to think of it... there is!"
"Who?" Mimi asked.
"How about we meet the culprit directly?"
They all looked at me again, asking the same question: "How?"
Then I asked them to wait inside the locker room. Meanwhile, I stood next to the restrooms, loitering. Moments later, After the swimming club members entered the locker rooms, I saw someone pass by them, heading the opposite direction. I immediately called on Mako and Suzuna to catch the culprit. They jumped out of the locker room and grabbed the culprit by the wrist, scaring the swimmers at the same time.
"We got you!" Suzuna exclaimed.
The culprit turned around and Mako immediately recognized who it was.
"K-Kanon?!"
"Makoto-kun?!"
I guess they did know each other, enough to call them by their first names. She had short red hair and almond eyes. She was about the same age as Mako, but looked younger by comparison. We took her to the council room to be interrogated, and they just loaded her with questions:
"Why do you steal panties?"
"What's your motive?"
"When did you start doing it?"
I stopped them because they were asking her too many questions. Kanon kept denying she was the culprit, but Mako could tell from the tone of her voice that she was lying.
"You paused for a second, and your pitch got higher. You're lying."
Yeah, apparently, he can tell when someone's lying. If I remember correctly, it's because he's heard lots of songs and podcasts that he could tell the emotions of a person just by the tone of their voice.
"Just admit it!" Suzuna exclaimed.
"Y-yes! It was me!" Kanon suddenly admitted, "Please forgive me, Nanoka-sama!"
Wow, that was fast. And she even addressed her as Suzuna-sama. She must be a big fan of hers. She was also moving her hips left and right... what was that about? It was then that Mimi stepped in and asked:
"Why did you do it?"
She looked at me with teary eyes and said: "Revenge".
"Revenge?"
She continued, "During my first day in this school, some delinquents used to tease me for being small and poor. They took away my dignity, so I took away theirs."
"But... Panties?" Mako asked.
"I-it's my fear!"
"Panties?"
"No!" she replied, "Fear of losing something!"
Wait, if that was her fear, then why would she take from someone? Unless...
"Are you a demon?"
The only reason I could think of that would make sense is if she were a demon. Unlike humans, demons feed through fear. I think it was what Suzuna did to those delinquents the other day as well. While humans experience fear, demons take it the fear to replenish their demonic energy or something. Not that I would know, since I can't see them. They all look like humans in my eyes.
"Of course she is!" Suzuna said, "Can't you see her tail and everything?!"
Didn't I just say I can't from my monologue?
Anyway, we had to punish her for breaking the rules. And since Mimi had the last say, we relied on her words. She crossed her arms and looked at Kanon fiercely.
"Usually, I'd send people like you to the faculty room, but..." she paused and gave her a big smile, "I'll let it pass!"
We were all surprised. We were not expecting her to suddenly go soft.
"But you'll have to return what you stole!" she added.
"No way!"
"Please?" Suzuna pleaded.
"Okay!" she replied, wiggling her hips.
With Suzuna around, we had no trouble convincing Kanon. And so she promised to return all of the stolen panties and left.
"Case closed!" Mako exclaimed.
"Don't say that! It's copyright!"
The case was finally solved. All that deductions made me wanna take a bathroom break. Once I finished, I returned to the council room. Then when I realized they were talking by themselves, I decided to eavesdrop.
"I still can't believe we solved the mystery in just a day." Suzuna said.
"We have Inu to thank for that." Mako responded.
Why did they keep calling me Inu? That kinda pissed me off... Once I calmed down, I continued eavesdropping.
"Come to think of it, he found out who the culprit was in a matter of minutes." What is he? A detective?"
"Close. He's the grandson of the founder of the school and the city's demon-human union project."
"You mean the one responsible for the unification treaty?"
"Yeah."
What was Mako thinking: exposing my background like that? I wanted him to be the only one to know my secret! Speaking of secrets...
"Oh right, Kinbaku's offering!"
And so I rushed back to the school gate, only to find Kanon waiting for me there.
"So you came!" she said.
"I'm only here for the panties you sto-"
Then I suddenly realized...
"...I can talk to you?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" she asked.
How odd. How could I talk to her despite my Parthenophobia? Suddenly, she threw something at me. I caught it at the last minute.
"It's for that nopperabo (no face)." she said.
I checked my hand and saw pink panties. It must be the one she stole recently...Meaning it's Mimi's. Well, since she already had her spare on, I reckon it was fine to give it to Kinbaku. Also, who was Kanon referring to as no face? Was she talking about Kinbaku? This question lingered in my head as I went to Kinbaku's shrine to offer the panties.
And things were about to get even stranger from there...