The Hero’s Brother Is Bound To Be Depressed

213 – Cookie disappearance case

I think I’ve overlooked just how important image is. Even before the rumor that Bella spread reached the lips of all the students at the academy, I had to repeat an unfamiliar experience.

“Hey, you’re Roel’s younger brother, right? Take this. These are handmade cookies baked by our club. Come visit the club with your brother sometime! There is a club called Magic Cooking and it is located on the 3rd floor of the annex. “You can join the club if you want!”

Starting with a second-year senior whom I had never seen before handing over a bag of cookies to my desk with an innocent attitude, people who wanted to become friends with Roel, who had become the youngest Transcendant on the continent, came to visit me every break without fail. Thanks to this, my desk was full of things similar in nature to bribes.

Receiving favors from strangers is quite an arduous task, and even though it was October and all traces of summer had disappeared, thanking me with an awkward smile made me sweat so much that my forehead was damp.

If I hadn’t caught Lakar’s back as he was trying to move, I would have been alone and surrounded by people. This is why friends are good. If we share the inconvenience, it is lessened at least a little.

After school.

After stopping by the training ground with Rakar, I returned to the club room and decided to take a short break. Rakar left the club room immediately, saying he had an appointment with his fiancée, Elena.

Today Luna does not come to the club room. In preparation for her promotion exam, she decided to stop by the library and study magic. Not only Luna, but the atmosphere at the academy these days is a bit sensitive due to the promotion exam. She thought about studying with Luna, but she didn’t go along because she thought it would only be a distraction.

Without even changing out of my school uniform, I just lay down on the soft sofa. Today, light rain was falling on the ceiling of the club room. The small sound of rain creates a good atmosphere for reading a book. I reached next to the sofa and took out Fatulga’s magic book from the space storage, and slowly read the part related to portals.

There was ample time to create an improved portal before the next Modest meeting. I also asked Estelle for the ingredients in advance. As I was looking at the magic technique made up of countless runes and shapes, I suddenly heard a rustling sound from somewhere.

Thinking I was alone in the club room, I half-got up and made eye contact with Aria, who had gotten up from the bed. I had slept so well that I could clearly see the traces of saliva around my mouth and the pillow marks on my face.

“What, were you there?”

He said, laying his upper body down, which had been half-raised. Aria wiped the corner of her mouth with her hand and drew a V shape with her fingers as if showing off.

“Hehe, there is no training today because the teacher is on a business trip! “It’s time to make up for the laziness I’ve been lacking!”

I didn’t feel it was worth responding, so I went back to reading the book, and Aria looked around the bed for a while, looking for something, and then came towards me.

“Ross!”

When I looked up from the book to see Aria screaming my name and shaking her hands and feet as if she was angry, Aria put her hands on her waist and gave me a scary look.

Have I done something to deserve these looks? I don’t think it’s there yet. I asked after thinking for a while.

“… “You’re not trying to accuse me of being wrong in my dream, are you?”

Then Aria told him not to talk nonsense and pretended to hit Honey Chestnut. Then what on earth is it… ? Aria met her gaze with a serious expression, and she opened her mouth with a heavy expression.

“I left the snack next to my pillow so I could eat it when I got up. But when I woke up, it had disappeared without a trace. It’s a missing cookie case… !”

As I turned to the other side without saying a word, Aria grabbed my arm and shook me. My vision shakes back and forth.

“This is an incident. It’s an incident… !”

“Just buy one and eat it.”

As I waved my hand and said that, Aria suddenly slapped the back of my hand.

“Ross! Tell me honestly now. Did you secretly eat cookies while I was asleep? The most likely suspect now is you, the only one left at the crime scene! I demand an explanation from Ross! Let’s do it! Let’s do it! Let’s do it!”

I sighed and put away the book that was covering my face. Speaking of incidents, as the manager of the club room, I can’t just sit still.

“Now, choose something and eat it. These are the snacks I received today. “We also have homemade cookies.”

When I took out snacks and cookies from the space storage room, put them on the table, and lay down on the sofa again to read a book, Aria screamed.

“no! “These are not my snacks!”

“Oh, so you’re saying these delicious-looking cookies aren’t yours either?”

When I spoke in a theatrical tone, Aria knelt down and shook her head as if she had been waiting. This is great acting.

“no! My snacks are a chestnut snack set sold at Entourage Cafe, limited to 100 people a day! The delicious homemade cookies here are not mine!”

“You’re a good kid. Then just eat whatever you have.”

“Beeeeeennnn-!!!”

It doesn’t work either.

Aria was holding my arm and shaking me hard, so I had no choice but to get up from the sofa with a sigh. She put Fatulga’s grimoire into her space storage and asked:

“Okay, I’ll solve the case. Did you check near the bed? “What about under the bed or pillow?”

“Of course I checked it first! “There is nothing!”

Aria lifted the blanket and pillow high as if to check it for herself. She checked the bed and the cracks in the matrix just in case, but she had no harvest.

I put my hand on my chin and asked with a hmmm sound.

“Then how big are the cookies?”

“About half a pillow?”

“What about the packaging of the snacks?”

“Paper box!”

… … .

If it is half the size of a pillow, it is easily visible even if it falls somewhere. But there was nothing on the carpet in the club room. In that case, it was convincing that someone broke into the club and stole the snacks.

“The club room’s security magic wouldn’t have been breached.”

It is impossible for even Estelle to sneak into the club room. The assumption that a current student broke in has been discarded. Then the culprit is among the members… ?

Aria seemed to think of something as well, put a finger to her mouth, thought about it for a moment, and then said with an expression that said there was nothing she could do.

“Ross. “If you give me back at least half, I’ll forgive you.”

“… “It’s not me.”

There is no trust like this. How many snacks have you given me so far? I’m a little disappointed. Actually, it wasn’t worth the price of the snacks.

Aria’s parents must have heard that Aria was getting snacks, so they sent me a large sum of money. Although she did not spend it, her friend Rain also received a generous amount. Of course, even if she didn’t get paid, she would have given Arya some sweets. Because we are friends.

Okay, let’s think again. In order for someone to take the snacks placed next to Aria’s pillow while she is sleeping, they must be able to open the door to the club room. Everyone on the team has the key.

If you use the method of elimination to select suspects, Luna, who is good, must be excluded. Of course, I don’t remember eating any cookies, so I’m not a suspect. Rakar also stopped by the club room for a while, but he didn’t go to the bed where Aria was sleeping, so he was excluded. So, is it the Kane that is left that has not yet appeared?

I can’t make a hasty decision on a suspect, but there’s a high probability that Kanega is the culprit behind the disappearance of the cookies. When I explained my reasoning, Aria lifted one foot and stamped hard on the carpet as if she had expected this.

“This bad guy… ! “How many times have I shared delicious snacks with you?”

As Aria was clenching her fists in a voice filled with betrayal, Kane opened the door and came in with perfect timing. She had a calm expression on her face, as if she knew nothing.

“What are you doing- Oh! “Is this crazy?”

Kane, who had suddenly been hit on the head, pushed Aria’s forehead and ran behind the sofa. This is a hasty decision that is unbecoming of the Ministry of Pensions.

Aria, who was confronting the sofa in the middle, shouted as she ran to catch Kane.

“Give me snacks!!!”

“Is this crazy! As soon as I arrive, I get ripped off. “Did you leave me some snacks?”

“The only culprit is you!”

“No, what kind of culprit… !!!”

I thought they would fight on their own like usual, but something caught my eye as I slipped to the side. It was a neatly folded paper box next to the club room trash can that was placed next to the portable blackboard.

When Aria climbed up the sofa and threw herself at Kane with a scream, I picked up the cardboard box and checked it. The Entourage Cafe logo was clearly written on the paper.

It seemed like time stopped for a moment. I couldn’t hear Aria’s screams or Kane’s high-pitched screams as she pulled out Kane’s head.

If the culprit was really Kane, he would not have neatly folded the cardboard box and placed it next to the trash can. If the intention was simply to tease Aria, it would have been more effective to make her stand up and look at the empty box.

If Kane isn’t the culprit… There is only one person who can fold a cardboard box and place it next to the trash can. A member of the department who cannot prove his alibi because he is the only one he cannot meet after school.

Luna.

But it never occurred to me that Luna might have stolen Aria’s cookies. In that case, it is right to hear the truth of the case from the mouth of the person involved.

After taking Aria away from the screaming Kane, I told her that there might be a clue in the library to find the real culprit.

“Then let’s go right now! “We need to have clear evidence that Kane is the culprit before we hit him harder!”

“okay! Catch the real culprit! “I feel so wronged!”

I followed the two people running to the library.

***

The library was full of students preparing for promotion exams. Finding Luna among the people filling the long table was surprisingly easy. She just glanced around, and Luna immediately caught her eye.

I quietly walked up to Luna and tapped her shoulder, and Luna, who had been concentrating on studying, looked at me with wide eyes. She was sorry for interrupting her studies, but she really needed Luna’s help to solve her case.

Since I couldn’t be noisy in the library, I took Luna outside where Aria and Kane were waiting.

“Something happened… ?”

Seeing Luna’s worried eyes, I held Aria’s head as she tried to bite Kane’s arm and briefly explained the situation.

“When Aria woke up, the snack she was trying to eat was gone. So she was looking for cookies. But someone organized the box of snacks next to the trash can in the club room… “Do you know anything?”

After hearing what I said, Luna nodded with a puzzled face.

“huh. “I’m the one who organized the boxes.”

Aria, who was about to bite Kane at Luna’s words, stopped her actions and raised her head to look at Luna.

“Luna, whom I trusted, betrayed me… ?!”

As Aria’s face filled with betrayal filled with tears, Luna waved her hand in embarrassment.

“B-but I’m not the one who ate the cookies. I just cleaned up the empty boxes that fell on the floor… ?”

“Hey, hey! “The evidence has come out, so you’re saying no!”

asked Luna, lightly punching Kane’s head as he raised his eyebrows and shouted playfully.

“An empty box?”

At my words, Luna nodded slightly with a puzzled look in her eyes. At Luna’s words that followed, Kane and I simultaneously turned our heads to Aria.

“Aria was eating snacks while she was sleeping… So I think she ate it all so she cleaned it up.”

Aria, who received our attention, said, “It’s a lie…” !” she said before suddenly closing her mouth. I think something about her has finally occurred to me.

Seeing that, Kane let out a crunching sound and let go of his hand, and Aria looked up at the sky and muttered in a bitter voice.

“Are you saying that eating delicious snacks wasn’t a dream? .”

“Hold it.”

At my command, Kane ran towards Aria, his hair flying. She hurriedly turned her body and ran away, with Kane following Aria frantically.

In this way, the missing snack case was solved in vain. The culprit was the victim herself, but in reality, it was all a dream! I feel like I saw the same ending.

After understanding the situation, Luna let out a sigh of relief and smiled slightly. After all, our Luna would never do that. As long as the world line doesn’t change, Luna, a sweet girl who doesn’t even know how to get angry, will never steal cookies.

Before Luna goes back to the library. I recalled receiving a call during lunch time that the product was ready.

“Luna, shall we go on a date outside tomorrow?”

“tomorrow… ?”

Even though I have a promotion exam coming up, taking a day off is good for my mental health. She seemed to be contemplating what to do as she slightly put out her lips, so she slowly stretched out her hand and wrapped it around her waist, making eye contact with Luna. She naturally pressed her lips together and whispered softly.

“I’ll dress as nicely as I can tomorrow.”

At my temptation, Luna blushed slightly and nodded eagerly.