"Can't you give me a hint?"
Amane asked eagerly.
Shiina pondered for a moment, deciding to give Amane a hint. As for whether she could find the mastermind, that would depend on Amane's ability.
"Alright, then I'll give you a hint. Before that, I'd like to ask you a small question, Amane. Do you think the method used in this incident was perfect?"
Shiina's question made Amane fall into thought.
"Perfect" is a word with many interpretations.
Even what each person considers perfect is not entirely the same.
Amane carefully considered her words for a long time before answering Shiina's question.
"This sudden public opinion storm targeting Ichinose is a masterpiece of perfection. The forum's inaccessibility hindered the spread of information, and I didn't even receive similar messages via phone. How did she manage to make everyone aware of this news in half a day… no, it should be in about two hours? This in itself is incredible, but what I find even harder to understand is, if your guess is correct and the culprit is a girl, it becomes even more perplexing. In my opinion, Shibata is still the most suspicious."
Amane voiced all the doubts that had been troubling her.
Shiina nodded as if in agreement, but her expression clearly told Amane that her confusion was easily resolved.
"In my opinion, a perfect crime doesn't exist. Even the most seemingly flawless crime will have flaws if a human is involved. Most crimes defined as perfect are simply those where the culprit hasn't been found, and truly near-perfect crimes are those that have never been discovered."
Shiina, for some reason, shifted the topic to perfect crimes. Amane was thoughtful. She naturally knew that Shiina wanted to tell her that this incident wasn't perfect. Amane also knew that if she took the time, she could definitely find the spreader, but the problem was that she was currently like a headless chicken, having lost her train of thought.
"So, in your opinion, Hiyori, what is a truly perfect crime?"
Amane followed Shiina's lead and continued the conversation.
"A perfect crime is natural. Only time, disease, and accidents can achieve this. Time can cause aging, leading to a 'normal' death. Disease can destroy human organs through 'transmission,' accelerating the death process. And accidents are like fate; an accident only needs to 'frame' other things or people to end a person's life. These three are all things that can create a perfect crime."
Shiina's gaze began to deepen. No, it should be said that this was the serious Shiina Hiyori.
"But no one can control time, disease, and accidents…"
"Can they really not be controlled?"
Shiina's rhetorical question made Amane pause.
How can something like time be controlled? If people could control time, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they could do whatever they wanted… Wait.
Time? Control?
Did Shiina mean that if Amane considered this incident perfect, then ending a person's life actually referred to achieving the current outcome?
Was Amane supposed to look backward instead of forward?
Suddenly! Amane realized something. The first example Shiina gave was that time can make people age. The process of normal human aging is ultimately long, but if one wants to unnaturally end a person's life prematurely… that is, if one wants to achieve the current outcome sooner, more drastic methods can be used.
That would be disease. No, it should be transmission.
The spread of disease catches people off guard. The lives of those infected with disease are accelerated towards their end.
But spreading disease will always leave evidence. If one wants this outcome to be perfect, it needs to look like an accident.
And an accident is… framing?
What Shiina wanted to tell Amane was that the reason there appeared to be a perfect answer was because someone deliberately created this incident to achieve a certain goal. To achieve the effect quickly, she chose to widely spread this matter to create an extremely negative impact in a short period, so that she could achieve her goal in the shortest possible time.
Finally, to absolve herself of responsibility, the best way was to frame others and let those most likely to be suspected take the blame.
Combining the current situation, the answer was almost obvious.
But new questions arose with it.
Why would she do this? What was her method of rapid dissemination? Was she assisted by others?
"It seems you've figured it out, Amane."
Shiina let out a long breath. The rest of the matter had nothing to do with her, but Shiina still hoped Amane would postpone the investigation.
Because there must be some unspoken difficulty behind this matter.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not a violent person. Since I already know the answer and my curiosity is satisfied, there's no need to pursue it further. My position is more suited to watching from the sidelines."
Amane's words brought a smile to Shiina's face.
"Sometimes, you should be more open-minded like this to live a more relaxed life. There's no absolute right or wrong in this world; it's just different perspectives and ways of looking at things. Everyone is striving for themselves, and crude interference will only get you into trouble."
Amane hadn't expected Shiina to say such a thing and couldn't help but scrutinize Shiina.
"I have a feeling you might become a rather difficult opponent. Do you think I should take some precautionary measures now?"
Amane's eyes gradually narrowed.
Her eyes, which usually made people feel gentle and at ease, now sent shivers down one's spine. Shiina lowered her head.
That momentary eye contact made her heart skip a beat. She didn't know why Amane's gaze could evoke such fear, but it didn't prevent her from understanding Amane's meaning.
"I'm just temporarily replacing Student Ryuuen. After he returns, Class C probably won't need me to do much, and then I can spend every day at the library."
"That sounds pretty good. Be sure to take me with you then."
"Hmph, Amane, you only sleep in the library!!! Last time, and the time before that! It's always like this. The senior in charge of managing book loans has already told me that if you don't respect books and follow the rules of the reading room, she won't allow you into the library."
Shiina feigned anger as she scolded Amane, who cooperated by looking distressed.
"It can't be helped, can it? It's because you, Hiyori, only show me classics. I've already… these things are too boring; that's why I get sleepy reading them. How about you just bring books to my dorm, or let me come to your dorm to read? I can also properly ask for advice from Teacher Hiyori on things I don't understand~"
Amane rubbed her hands, displaying a mischievous, understanding smile.
Shiina, meanwhile, immediately stuck out her tongue and made a cute goofy face.
"I won't fall for your tricks, Amane! I've known what you're up to since the first day I met you. I won't let you succeed."
Their playful banter attracted many people's attention.
The tense atmosphere also vanished without a trace.
At the same time, in a corner of the cafeteria, Ayanokoji observed this scene thoughtfully.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"