Shu.
Her full name is Roshiya Shuko (路し屋 首子), and as you can see, she has quite an unusual surname.
Of course, that is not the only reason I remember her.
Simply put, she was an employee who worked at my home when we were children.
Her family circumstances were difficult, so she found work despite her young age. Since we happened to be the same age, we became close friends.
"That's right... Has it been about ten years since we parted ways? And to meet in a place like this... You never know where fate will lead you!"
"Yeah... It's already been ten years."
But after only a year together, she immigrated to some country in Europe, and we lost contact just like that.
"More importantly, Shu, how have you been? It couldn't have been easy living in a foreign country..."
"Don't worry! It's not like I'm bragging, but I was pretty good at my job even when I worked for your family, remember? I used that experience as a stepping stone and made a living as a famous fixer!"
The word was unfamiliar enough to catch me off guard, but she explained that I should think of it as a freelance worker who took on every kind of odd job.
"W-wait, Shu... Then don't tell me the reason you came to this academy is..."
"Yeah, it's still strange... but they're my memories, so I'm sure of it."
Nodding vigorously, Shu pressed her raised thumb firmly against her chest.
"I, Roshiya Shuko, am the Ultimate Fixer!"
[Roshiya Shuko / Ultimate Fixer]
"I see, the Ultimate Fixer... Huh?!"
As I absently nodded along, my eyes landed on the tie her thumb was pressing against.
"Hm? What's wrong, Shoko?"
"N-no, it's nothing. Ahem..."
Once again, I keenly realized just how long ten years was.
She had been so timid as a child, yet now she carried herself with such charisma...
"Hey! Are you listening? Is there something on my face?"
More than that, her height, figure, even her physical ability—her development was nothing short of complete.
"N-no... It's just... Huh?"
But what mattered now was that she was looking at me suspiciously, so I should change the subject.
"Hey, Shu... What's that on your face?"
The instant I thought that, I was genuinely startled.
"What? I ask if there's something on my face, and you're actually going with that?"
"No, seriously... That thing over your left eye... Isn't that a scar?!"
"A-a scar...?"
At that, Shu looked somehow flustered and touched around her eye for a moment.
"...H-huh...?"
She gave a reaction she absolutely should not have given...?
"W-what is this? It really is a scar?! It even runs straight down vertically!"
"Why are you more surprised than I am?! Are you joking?!"
"Who would joke about something like this?! What happened...? Did I get hurt while working without even realizing it...?"
Just as I was about to ask whether that was even possible, given where the injury was—
"Hmm... I suppose that could be it. When I get too absorbed in work, I forget about minor injuries right away..."
"..."
After hearing that, I had no choice but to close my mouth.
As a detective, I pride myself on being able to tell immediately when someone is hiding a major secret.
But her reaction just now suggested that, exactly as she said, even she genuinely had not known.
"...I guess that could happen. As absurd as it sounds..."
Pressing her any further would only burden her, so I decided to leave it there.
"Well, I'm fine! It doesn't hurt, and I'm used to getting injured. More importantly, Shoko, did you wake up here the moment you opened your eyes too?"
"Yeah... I was trapped in some old locker. And after I barely got out, strange memories came flooding back along with a headache..."
"Hmm... Just as I thought. The same thing happened to me. Well... for now, there's only one thing we can do, right?"
When I asked what that was, Shu gave me the same playful smile she had worn as a child.
"Obviously, we need to look around this academy! Just the two of us, of course!"
"Hmm... That's true, but... just the two of us?"
"Huh? Don't tell me you're planning to ditch me and go by yourself? I'd be really hurt, you know?"
As she said that, she suddenly threw an arm around my shoulders.
"Wah?! D-don't cling to me out of nowhere...!"
"Why not? You used to put your arm around me first when we were kids, remember? Ah, it's much more comfortable now that we're about the same height!"
"That's true, but... Oh, come to think of it, I haven't told you my talent yet. I'm—"
What cut me off was her fond smile.
"You don't have to tell me! Right? ...Ultimate Detective?"
"...You remembered that I said I wanted to become a detective."
"Of course! I... I haven't forgotten anything about you, not for a single moment..."
"Oh, really...? Thanks...?"
For some reason, an odd atmosphere began to settle between us.
"Agh! M-more importantly, let's really get moving now! I brought the pamphlet, so come on!"
"O-okay!"
With that abrupt conclusion from her, we found ourselves beginning our investigation of the academy.
*
*
According to the map in the pamphlet Shu brought, it seemed we were on the first floor of the academy's main building.
She had awakened in the corridor on the opposite side, and after conducting a brief search, had sensed my presence while trying to leave.
"What? All the stairways leading to the second floor were blocked off?"
"That's what I said. And the only place on the first floor I could get into was the library, but I didn't find much there either. There were just a whole bunch of thick books..."
"Hmm, that's definitely a little concerning... but let's check the other places first."
With that, we passed through the lobby and headed for the main building's entrance.
"...Heh."
And then we met him.
A man with a sharp air about him, leaning casually against the wall.
"...One look tells me you two must have woken up here after opening your eyes, same as me?"
"Y-yeah...! If that's the case, then you too...?"
The man nodded at Shu's slightly tense question and strode toward us.
"Introductions first. Talk afterward."
"Then... I'll go first. I'm Roshiya Shuko, the Ultimate Fixer. Nice to meet you!"
"Ah, my name is Keisha Shoko. It seems I came to this academy as the Ultimate Detective."
"Hmm, a fixer and... a detective...?! I've run into some pretty intimidating people."
Muttering something incomprehensible, the man soon fixed his blue eyes on the tense pair of us.
"I'm Tsurudo Chosuke (鶴戸 長介)! The Ultimate Gambler. Pleasure to meet you!"
[Tsurudo Chosuke / Ultimate Gambler]
...I knew it was rude to think so upon first meeting him, but that was a rather peculiar Ultimate talent.
"Ultimate Gambler...? So you're basically a gambling king...?"
As if proving my point, Shu was already asking him with a dumbfounded expression.
"Well... something like that. Believe it or not, I grew up in a casino from the time I was a baby, and I've been active ever since."
"What?! You grew up in a casino from the time you were a baby?! Is that even possible?"
"What are you so surprised about? I opened my eyes and found myself in a casino, and after scraping by one way or another, I ended up becoming the Ultimate Gambler. M-more importantly..."
"Yeah...? What is it?"
When I asked, Tsurudo scratched the back of his head and continued carefully.
"You said you're a detective...? You're not going to arrest me on the spot or anything, are you? I was always taught to be wary of the 'red-eyed police'...!"
I had to express my regret over that prejudice.
"Well... relax. I'm not the type to step in unless I have a warrant or an assignment..."
After all, I was nothing like those deranged cops who threw people in jail first, regardless of the circumstances.
"Whew... At least you seem reasonable. Though even if you weren't, I had no intention of letting myself get arrested."
"More importantly, you woke up here after opening your eyes too, just like us?"
"Yeah, that's right. For a moment, it felt like I'd forgotten everything, but the instant I realized that, my name and this thing called an 'Ultimate talent' came to mind."
After saying that, Tsurudo turned to me again.
"By the way, you two are planning to investigate this academy from here on out, right? If you don't mind, let me come with you."
"Hm? I don't mind, but why?"
"No matter how I think about it, there's no way we three are the only ones in an academy this big. If we're going to get acquainted with the others, wouldn't it be better to do it all at once?"
It was certainly logical reasoning. Besides, leaving him by himself did not feel particularly appealing either...
"All right, let's do that. Shu, you're okay with it too, right?"
"Ah... Well, I wanted it to be just the two of us..."
"Hm? What did you say?"
"Ah, nothing! Let's do that! L-let's finally go outside!"
"You're a refreshingly straightforward bunch. I like you!"
And so, before we knew it, the three of us were investigating the academy together.
*
*
Perhaps because of the nature of the place, all it took to leave the main building was one step.
What greeted the three of us outside was—
"...What the...?"
The sky we had always seen, utterly unlike the enclosed space from moments before.
And that was precisely why we were surprised.
Since we had awakened in a mysterious place, we had already given up on seeing such an open view.
"I might have been more relieved if there were at least a birdcage covering the sky..."
"I agree. This just makes it look like an ordinary academy..."
The only way to resolve Shu and Tsurudo's doubts was to get moving and investigate.
Normally, in a situation like this, we would first have needed to find out whether we could leave the academy.
"..."
But the enormous iron walls, thoroughly surrounding the academy on all sides even now, effortlessly crushed that thought.
Judging by their height and thickness, even heavy machinery would likely have a hard time climbing over or breaking through them.
"...I guess this definitely isn't an ordinary academy."
"Hmph, it's still less stifling than a casino. At least we can see the blue sky."
"It's certainly concerning... but let's start with the places we can reach. That's the annex, right, Shu?"
The place we decided to head for was the black building ahead of us, called the annex.
Only a small field lay between us, fitting for the short distance. That was why we had not expected it.
"Hm? You people are...?"
To run into another person standing in the middle of it.
More precisely, she was a woman in a suit, with striking goth makeup and sanpaku eyes.
"What, were you dragged to this academy too?"
Tsurudo was the first to speak.
"Dragged here, huh? I suppose that may be true. But who exactly are you people?"
At that, the three of us briefly introduced ourselves.
The woman fell into thought for a moment, then looked at us again as if it were her turn.
"My name is Kitsui Sebine (橘井 背美音), the Ultimate Pole Dancer. Will that do for an introduction?"
[Kitsui Sebine / Ultimate Pole Dancer]
"A pole dancer... Those are people who dance while hanging from poles, right?"
"Yes, that's right. If you've seen it, you've probably encountered it on TV or the internet."
"Ah... I've seen people like that in person. They came to perform at a casino, and if you paid them, they took off an article of clothing at a time..."
"...!"
Kitsui, who had been answering my question, instantly stiffened at Tsurudo's words.
"W-what's with you all of a sudden?"
"Watch your words, would you? Those aren't pole dancers... they're called 'strippers.' Don't compare us to people who sell their chastity for money."
Before we knew it, she had moved right up to him and was glaring up at him with a rather murderous look.
"...Hey, calm down a little. It's not like I can't tell the difference. And I'm not interested in such cheap acts either!"
"...Ah, I'm sorry. I get a little worked up about this sort of thing... It seems I was the one being careless."
Then Kitsui quickly put some distance between them and bowed to him.
"Sorry, Tsurudo. Let me apologize properly."
"Ha, don't worry about it! I'm not bothered. You can't survive as a gambler if you can't get past a little incident like this. Here!"
Seeing her like that, Tsurudo offered her a handshake first, as if telling her not to feel awkward.
"...Whew, I was worried a fight might break out, but thank goodness. Did you say Tsurudo? Despite appearances, he doesn't seem like such a frivolous guy."
"Yeah, I guess not..."
Rather, it seemed as though Kitsui had some kind of complex about the matter, but seeing the two of them shake hands amicably, I decided to let it go for now.
"More importantly, judging from where you're headed, you're planning to go to the annex next... right?"
"Yeah. We thought there might be other students there like you, so we were going to investigate and meet them."
"I see... Then this may be obvious, but you should look around the first floor first. I haven't checked, but I sensed someone's presence."
"A presence..."
I had noticed at first glance, but that confirmed it: like Shu, she was a considerably well-trained woman.
In any case, after thanking Kitsui, we headed to the annex's first floor at her suggestion.
*
*
Up close, the annex was slightly smaller than the main building, but it was still a fairly large structure.
Whirr...
We opened the massive automatic doors fitting for its size and went inside.
"Is this... a cafeteria?"
The sight that greeted us was, at first glance, a cafeteria with a neat and luxurious interior.
"...Let me say this now: restrain yourselves from suggesting we stop to eat here."
"I-I'm not an idiot, so obviously!? Well, I am a little hungry, though..."
Even as she answered, Shu's gaze subtly drifted toward the kitchen.
"...Guys, be quiet for a moment."
Following her gaze, I sensed something and silenced the other two.
...Munch, munch, munch...
The faint sign I barely caught was the sound of something moving its mouth roughly.
"Ah, it seems someone's here... An idiot who's eating in a situation like this."
Having heard it as well, Tsurudo and Shu wordlessly followed me toward the kitchen.
We stepped over the fixtures that appeared to be serving counters, passed through the unexpectedly vast kitchen, and—
"...Holy shit."
When we finally found what seemed to be the source of the sound, our bodies all froze at once.
"Munch, smack... nom, nom..."
It was not simply because she was crouched on the floor, unaware that we had arrived.
It was not simply because she had deathly pale white hair, dotted here and there with red spots.
"Hey, that's... raw meat, isn't it...?"
It was because what she was ravenously tearing into was a raw tomahawk steak.
"Chomp, chomp, chomp... Mmm?"
Only then, perhaps having heard Tsurudo's voice, she stopped her 'meal' and slowly turned around.
"..."
At last, she stared straight at us.
At us, frozen by the sight of her inhuman red eyes and fangs even more inhuman than those eyes.
She was only a little bigger than me in stature, but just as a cold sweat began to break out from the madness creeping off her—
"Hi! Nice to meet you! Oh, did you guys come because you're hungry too?"
She casually greeted us with a girl's voice and a smile.
"Huh...? No, not really..."
Perhaps because of the sudden friendliness, I replied without thinking.
"Huh? Really? Then you don't need this meat? I was gonna share it with you-!"
"W-who would accept raw meat from you?! More importantly, who the hell are you?!"
"Who am I? Tana is Tana-! And this is tasty! It tastes like blood-!"
"Tana...? Is that your name?"
When Shu asked as warmly as she could, the girl who had referred to herself as Tana finally smiled brightly.
But what followed that smile was—
"Yep! My long name is Cristana Redrasi (クリスタナ・レドラシ)-! I'm the Ultimate Vampire-! ...Ah! I was also told to say, 'Our girl doesn't bite!'-!"
[Cristana Redrasi / Ultimate Vampire]
It was an utterly absurd statement.
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