Work Text:
Monday morning. 7:41 a.m.
Kaji took a deep breath. A new day. The rain from yesterday had stopped. The atmosphere was peaceful. The wind was cool.
He opened his locker.
…..
Smoke slowly came out. The inside of his shoes were half black — as if they had been burned, but the fire knew its limits.
He examine the locker. Look at the floor. Look at the locker again. Open it again.
Yep. Not a dream. His shoes had to be burned.
"KAJI!" A cheerful voice came from the corridor.
Umemiya.
His shirt has mud stains. A garden hose hung over his shoulder. A cheerful face doesn't match this morning.
"Are you wearing premium fire-calling shoes?" he said, looking in the locker. "Seriously, this is barbecue level."
Kaji look at him while glancing. “You did it?”
Umemiya: "Me? I love nature okay. After all, if I want to burn, I make two sides. Symmetry is important."
Kaji was about to respond, but another voice came in. More stable. More sane.
"Let me see."
Hiiragi appeared, hair still damp. He bent down to check the locker. He looked closely.
"It looks like it was burned from below. Someone put in coals or a small fire from outside," he said seriously. "This is no ordinary prank."
Kaji was silent.
Umemiya: “Bro. This is serious.”
Tuesday.
Kaji sat in class, just opened the food — his grandfather’s handmade tuna sandwich. He smells… nostalgic. Appetizing. Relieved.
He went to fill up the water bottle at the end of the class.
3 minutes
He’s back.
The sandwich was gone. The box was left half open. There was a piece of lettuce. And a piece of tissue paper with the words:
“Sorry, I need this more than you.”
Kaji: “…”
Two men appeared from the edge of the corridor.
Umemiya (from the corridor window): “KAJI! There was a suspicious looking bird in the back garden just now!”
Hiiragi (with umemiya, raises eyebrows): "Or... someone in this class is hungry and feels guilty."
Kaji sat down. Put his head on the table. Relax? Not anymore.
Wednesday.
The class is rowdy because the toilet soap was missing. Hiiragi puts up a suspect chart on the whiteboard. Umemiya brings a small sack full of seeds supposedly to "detect traces of soap scent".
Kaji didn't say anything. He sat by the back stairs of the school. Finally quiet. Finally peaceful.
“Run away from the world, Kaji?"
Hiiragi sat next to him. A small smile.
Kaji replied slowly, "I just want... a day without smoking shoes, spoiled food, or Umemiya with the psychic animal theory."
Hiiragi laughed softly. "But in all the commotion… have you noticed? You're starting to talk more. Starting to laugh a little."
Kaji silent.
Hiiragi continued, “Sometimes… life's unsettling moments are what make us feel alive.”
From afar, Umemiya shouted:
"WOW! I HAVE A WITNESS! A CAT IN A STRIPED JACKET WENT ACROSS THE TABLE AGO!"
Kaji bow.
And smile a little.
———————————
🌀 Plot Twists & Explanations for Each Case:
🧨 Monday – The Burned Shoe
Actually, Umemiya spilled special fertilizer + water from the garden tools near the locker area when he went up to the rooftop early in the morning. The material has a mild chemical reaction that — when exposed to heat (for example from a hair dryer thrown into the trash can next door) creates a scorched effect.
Hiiragi checked and finally found Umemiya's fingerprint on the fertilizer bottle 😂
Umemiya: "EH?! I didn't know it was auto-burning! I just bought it from online shop!"
Kaji: "Your online shop does have a level."
———
🥪 Tuesday – Missing Sandwiche
Kaji's classmate, Enomoto panicked because his friend almost fainted due to gastric. At that time, Kaji's sandwich was on the table, and they thought about borrowing it first, then secretly replacing it.
The tissue paper was actually a note to explain, but because it was too long, he didn't write his name.
On Friday, a premium tuna sandwich was in Kaji's locker. A sticky note was tucked in:
"Sorry for that day. Your sandwich was really delicious. I'll replace it with an extra one."
Kaji read the note. Shook his head. But smiled a little.
———
🧼 Wednesday – Soap is Missing
A student (Takanashi) was traumatized by a flying cockroach. When he was running from the toilet, he accidentally threw the soap dispenser down the toilet hole. Ashamed to admit it.
But when Hiiragi traces the CCTV, he sees shadows of people running out screaming and soap disappearing from the shelves.
Hiiragi: “If this isn’t an emergency, I don’t know what is.”
Umemiya (laughing): “Pretty sure they saw the Soap Spirit.”
———
Hiiragi, Kaji, and Umemiya sit together on a bench outside, eating ice cream.
Hiiragi: “All cases solved. But I still think you should change where you leave your shoes, Kaji.”
Umemiya: “Or maybe keep a mini fire extinguisher next to your locker.”
Kaji: “Or… I transfer schools.”
They all burst out laughing.
Kaji (voiceover):
Sometimes, the biggest mystery isn’t who did it…
But why I’m still hanging around these people.
But maybe…
It’s because my days wouldn’t be half as interesting without them.