Romantic Troubles of Duanmu-kun

Episode 41: The Spiral Stairway Upward

Silence reigned on the stairway, broken only by the soft echo of footsteps. It created an illusion that they were the only two people in the entire Western-style mansion, with only the slight give of the stairs beneath their feet providing any sense of reality.

The mansion’s interior was surprisingly vast. Once the twenty-some people had dispersed to various corners, they had vanished like schools of fish disappearing into seaweed, leaving no trace of their presence.

“Um… Liang-kun, are you sure this is okay?” Itou Maho asked hesitantly from half a step behind him.

…It seemed the Class Rep was still worried. The novelist considered for a moment. Since no one else was around, he decided to share his deductions with her.

“Class Rep, what kind of place do you think this is?”

“Eh? Well, that’s…”

The Class Rep clearly couldn’t grasp the intent behind his question, her expression clouding with confusion.

“This is the Niwa family estate,” the novelist continued without waiting for her response. “It’s the residence of the person who controls Niwa Industries, a major international conglomerate. And not just here—this entire area is where Japan’s upper-class elite make their homes… What do you think about the security measures here?”

“But…” Itou-san seemed to understand his point, yet still couldn’t shake her unease.

Her eyes revealed her thoughts: ‘No matter how thorough the protection, an incident has already occurred.’

“True.”

It was entirely possible that not just the guest house, but even the main building had been compromised, with all security personnel already subdued. After all, no one had noticed the situation here or come to their aid for quite some time.

Or, in the worst-case scenario, if this involved internal strife, some of the mansion’s external security might actually be members of the criminal group, keeping watch over the premises.

However—

“What happens after that? How long do you think it will take the police and metropolitan government to respond?”

While Japanese police efficiency was often criticized, like other modern nations, when it came to matters involving the upper class, they transformed into an unstoppable force that no individual could resist.

“Since this involves the Niwa family, I doubt they’ll be negligent. Reinforcements are probably already on their way.”

The mansion’s internal security, the entire estate’s patrol and stationed guards, and the city’s dedicated SPs (Secret Police) maintained minute-by-minute contact twenty-four hours a day. Even if the first two groups had been overwhelmed by the intruders, the Metropolitan Police Department would quickly respond.

“Additionally, this year the Cabinet established the new Satellite Intelligence Collection Center. It’s staffed by elite personnel selected from the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, Metropolitan Police Department, Defense Agency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and the Meteorological Agency. Their surveillance area includes Tokyo’s suburbs. In other words, we’re currently under satellite observation from space.”

“…”

These were details that ordinary people either couldn’t know or never considered. As expected, the Class Rep had looked at him with eyes full of respect—the kind of gaze that could easily satisfy one’s vanity.

Unfortunately, he’d only just learned all this himself.

…

“In the end, there’s only one way to commit a major crime in this kind of environment.”

Just as he’d discussed with Ogiwara Yayoi. Professional armed individuals, working with inside collaborators, would complete their operation in a short time frame. Whether assassination or kidnapping, they would withdraw before the state apparatus could respond.

“I think the police will arrive soon.”

At the very least, the kind of dramatic scenario from horror movies—where a killer spent an hour or two toying with their prey like a cat with mice, killing terrified victims one by one—couldn’t possibly happen.

“If this were happening inside a villa in some remote town, private island, or mountain retreat behind a village, that kind of strange incident might be possible… but we’re in Tokyo, aren’t we?”

The novelist shook his head, trying to dispel the ominous premonition that ‘we might actually be taken to such a place in the future,’ while consciously guiding the Class Rep in a particular direction.

“I see…”

The Class Rep remained oblivious to his guidance. After hearing his explanation, her expression showed understanding.

“Because nearly ten minutes have passed without anyone else being harmed… um, except for Niwa-kun… that means they’re not professional criminals…”

“Exactly. I think the crime announcement in that video tape was at least genuine in terms of motive—meaning this is a revenge action born from personal grudges.”

Perhaps they’d already accomplished their goal and fled—though of course, he didn’t say this aloud.

“Ah, but…!”

The Class Rep suddenly seemed to remember something.

“In that video tape, didn’t they say something about ‘taking revenge on Niwa-kun’s friends’…?”

“About that—if the culprit isn’t mentally unstable, it was probably just intimidation to prevent interference. And…”

The novelist hesitated but continued anyway.

“…It worked well, didn’t it? Everyone chose to stay together, and no one suggested ‘let’s go look for the missing Niwa-kun’…”

To be precise, people were deliberately avoiding the topic, afraid of becoming targets of revenge themselves.

The Class Rep’s expression darkened momentarily, but she said nothing, simply nodding quietly.

…She probably genuinely wanted to search for Niwa-kun. And not just because he was the boy she had feelings for—Itou Maho would likely have the same reaction if any of her classmates went missing.

But if she were the type to force her goodwill onto others, she wouldn’t be the Class Rep anymore. She really was a good kid.

“Come to think of it, Liang-kun, you’ve been very calm. Is it because you figured all this out from the start?”

“Yeah.”

As if.

He’d actually been just as nervous at first. If it hadn’t been for Miyagi-san…

“Then is Ogiwara-san the same?”

“Um… probably?”

The novelist wasn’t sure.

On one hand, Ogiwara was the type of girl who might well have figured it out early on. On the other hand, he was equally certain she would maintain that aloof expression and calm demeanor even if she hadn’t realized it…

“That’s amazing… Huh? Liang-kun, where are we? Shouldn’t we be going up?”

The Class Rep finally noticed they had stopped at the entrance to some obscure emergency passage.

The novelist’s lips curled into a slightly smug smile.

“—This, of course, is the ‘key’ that I left from the very beginning.”