Not a detective

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When Asakawa Riku looked at the name below the photo, he was even more surprised—

The name is:

[Asukai Poem]

Tamamo no Spring: Chapter Five: Asukai Poems

"You're Asukai Shi?"

Asakawa Riku pushed open the door to the activity room and saw the girl who had been waiting there.

She smiled slightly, as if she had expected this.

...

When Asakawa Riku noticed the name of the first place winner, the other students watching naturally noticed it as well.

"Wait...this person..."

"I am not wrong, right!"

"Is it really Asukai?"

"Oh my god... that author is actually in our school!"

"And so cute!"

The crowd immediately became excited, noisily pushing and shoving, some even taking out their phones to take pictures. Asakawa Riku finally managed to squeeze through.

He also had many questions, surprises, and confusions, but perhaps he knew where he could find his target the fastest.

...

Sure enough, Asukai Shi is here.

She was still wearing her school uniform and blue light jacket, but this time, she entered uninvited and sat in the window seat of the mystery club.

That was usually where the senior student sat, and with that similar face, Asakawa Riku was momentarily dazed and almost mistook her for someone else.

"Yes."

She readily admitted it, listening to the noise outside the window: "That's why I wanted to come here; it's the only place that's a little quieter."

It turns out he wasn't the only one who used the mystery club as a refuge.

Recall that Shimi Asukai was a young writer who debuted three years ago. According to online rumors, she was only in junior high school, but her debut work won many newcomer awards that year.

After that, several best-selling works were published in succession, completely silencing the doubts of the outside world, and even many of the original critics changed their tune and praised him.

It is said that what she writes is not a typical mystery novel; it has classic tricks and ingenuity, as well as social connotations and significance, which is completely unlike the experience and knowledge that a young person should have.

Three years after debut, the list of works is as follows:

The Reincarnation of the Celestial Maiden (2022)

Horse of Ideology (2022)

Portrait of EBH (2023)

Dizziness (2023)

Dance Wonderland (2024)

With a Pale Face (2024)

The Teacher Who Laughs (2024)

The Master of the Hot Spring Village (2024)

Summer of the Red Rays (2025)

Yes, and there's also that eerie book, *Summer of the Red Stingray*...

The thought of this connection made it impossible for Asakawa Riku to maintain a normal attitude.

Before rushing to the activity room, Asakawa Riku searched for her entry on the encyclopedia again. "The Summer of the Red Ray" was still missing, and the list of works after that had not been updated. It seemed that she had stopped writing after that. The whole year of 2025 was blank, and now it's 2026... Has she stopped writing?

Regardless, she seems to be very popular online, with many fans eagerly anticipating her new work, and the discussion surrounding it remains high.

Especially among teenagers... You can tell just by looking downstairs; the bulletin board was completely surrounded, with people calling their friends over.

It seems that some teachers have gone over to maintain order; perhaps that report card will be taken down.

Asakawa Riku shifted his gaze back:

"That's actually your real name? I thought it was a pen name."

"It's my real name."

She replied with a grin, "It's a really cool name, isn't it?"

Indeed, it looks completely fabricated.

Asakawa Riku sat down across the table: "If you don't want any excitement, you might as well use a fake name to come to school. Are you not planning to hide your identity anymore, or is this on purpose?"

He couldn't understand this guy's intentions. Since he used his real name, he couldn't possibly be unaware of the risks of being exposed.

I never imagined this guy was actually a genius junior high school writer. Is he now trying to use his identity and face to promote his new book?

"No matter how much you don't want to, you still have to face it."

She said something profound.

Asakawa Riku was silent for a moment, then hesitated and said:

"Since you've already made that promise... fine, this room can be your refuge, and the Mystery Club won't disband."

He knew how useful this mystery club activity room was; other students would avoid it like the plague, as if it were a mass grave at night. He initially thought it was because Chizuko-senpai was there, and the ghost "Kiku" beside her was causing fear and unease, but he found that no new students were willing to visit or join the club in the new semester.

It can't be that the aura emanating from that cursed woman is still lingering here.

So, people who come here are used to Yuki... and the person in front of them.

Asu's expression remained unchanged, and she kept smiling. Her eyes were perfectly curved crescents, and with her thick eyelashes, she looked especially suited to smiling.

The fact that someone can sit here so calmly suggests that they are, like me, another person with zero inspiration.

“But,” Asakawa Riku changed the subject, “I’ll give you the key, and then I won’t stay here. You can take charge of this club.”

"Eh--"

Asukai Shi let out a long complaint: "What kind of senior club president becomes a ghost member? I'm the only one left now."

"It's perfectly normal for senior high school students to pause their activities; don't make a fuss about it."

Asakawa Riku took off his keychain and placed it on the table: "Besides, all you want is a place to take refuge, right? I'm just getting in the way here."

"No way."

She leaned on the table, resting her soft cheeks on her arm, and looked up: "Seniors don't seem to have those fan-like feelings towards me. They're very comfortable with me. Isn't it nice to chat and do club activities together?"

"I want to go back to study." Asakawa Riku felt like he was about to transcend into a saint.

"Hey...aren't pretty girls here attractive enough?"

"Don't call yourself a pretty girl."

Having seen so many beautiful girls, his resolve only grew stronger.

Asukai Shi was very observant; Asakawa Riku did indeed lack interest in her. Of course, it wasn't a personal aversion or a judgment based on appearance or personality; it wasn't that superficial.

Because after returning from the summer, unable to find "Summer of the Red Ray," he went to look through several of her other books.

It wasn't a very pleasant reading experience.

This is not to say that Shiki Asukai's writing is poor, or that the cases and tricks in her mystery novels are inadequate; if that were the case, she wouldn't have become a bestselling author.

It was just a vague feeling.

Asakawa Riku felt that... this author was expressing something in the words, a silent cry that transcended the surface of the story.

He felt an unsettling resonance, yet when he searched for it within those words, it vanished without a trace. Had he reached that sentimental age? Or was he overthinking things?

He didn't know what was wrong with him. He was just reading some mystery novels, so why was he so shaken?

Therefore, rather than saying that Asakawa Riku disliked Asukai Shi, it would be more accurate to say that he was "escaping".

He didn't even know what he was running away from.

But I just want to escape.

Tamamo no Spring: Chapter Six - The Deduction Game

"How about this...!"

Asukai Shi suddenly slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

She smiled and held up one finger: "How about we add another bet, senior? I'll set the rules. If I win, you'll transfer the title of club president to me, and then I'll order you to participate in club activities. That way, you'll have no choice but to participate."

"What kind of new member tries to take over as president right away... You're too arrogant, you freshman."

Asakawa Riku said helplessly, "Besides, even if I win, I won't benefit from it."

"Of course!"

Asukai Shi generously opened her arms, but unfortunately her chest remained flat and without any curves, except that the hem of her dress revealed a section of her snow-white waist.

"If you win, I'll become your girlfriend!"

Asakawa Riku turned his gaze away without a second thought: "I'll be killed by your fans."

"Hey...come on, come on~"

Don't chase me.

They kept circling around the only desk in the room, but fortunately, Asakawa Riku was agile and was not caught.

This guy's way too friendly... or maybe he's just joking? I don't get it...

But this couldn't go on; he couldn't study properly anymore. Asakawa Riku made up his mind, stood still, and turned around:

"That's possible, but this bet must include my conditions. If you win, I'll stay; but if I win..."

He stared at Shimi Asukai: "I want you to tell me the secret of the book 'Summer of the Red Ray'."

The air suddenly became quiet for a moment.

The girl stopped in her tracks, her smile carrying a subtle undertone.

"Oh my... 'Summer of Red Rays'?"

"Judging from your reaction, there must be something going on behind the scenes."

Asakawa Riku further confirmed his conjecture: "Even if this book disappeared from the world, only the original author, only you, could not possibly know nothing about it."

Finding the author could very well lead to the truth behind last summer... What exactly was that book, and why did it predict the events on the island...?

Looking back now, the case still holds many elusive truths that have not been fully revealed.

All of this is hidden behind the person "Asukaji Shi"!

"Okay, okay!"

But now, her face showed no trace of anything; she still smiled innocently and clapped her hands, exclaiming, "Then it's settled!"

Then, Shii Asukai sat down at the table, took out a notebook and a pen, and placed them on the table.

"Senior, please sit down. We can finish this [game] in a few hours."

...

Another one of those mind-bending mini-games?

As soon as Asakawa Riku sat down, this was the first thing that came to mind.

Last fall, I had already had enough of these games. Back then, people were making such a fuss over the rooftop stalls.

However, he is indeed not good at this kind of game... and the person in front of him is a self-proclaimed genius and the top student in the grade... does he really have a chance of winning?

In any case, now that he has agreed, Asakawa Riku will not back down.

How do we play?

However, Asukai Shi did not answer immediately. Instead, she kept turning the notebook around, as if writing or drawing on it, while complaining: