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Nanana’s Buried Treasure Volume 8 Chapter 8.5

「Ah, so what Kiyomi-san said was true after all.」

「? What?」

「That the advisor hasn’t had a boyfriend for nine years, and is concerned about public appearances, so she has created the pretense of having an imaginary boyfriend named Joji Akagi, and is hiding him from the world. To do this, the greedy advisor has even lost the rent income for one room to make it look like he’s living in this room.」

「…..」

「No, It’s not that bad though. You see, for someone living next door, he’s pretty quiet, and Fumika Sanada-chan who lives directly above hasn’t been home at all. Nanana Ryuugajou’s room has been pretty noisy lately, but I don’t mind hearing that kind of happy laughter. So when I see the advisor, who is past a marriageable age… no, right in the middle of a marriageable age, living life and deceiving herself with those kinds of lies, I think to myself, ‘I’ll never end up like that’ or ‘ah, even if I’m just like the students on the second floor, a dozen years can really make a person into a rough mess’… Hey, huh? Advisor? You seem to have an aura of anger about you, don’t you?」

Listening to Himeko’s long winded monologue, the veins on Shiki’s temples had been popping out for some time now.

「Rejoice, Nonomiya-chan. This month’s rent is 100 times higher than the previous rate.」

「Stop joking around. <3 」

「Choose. Either pay 100 times the rent, or I’ll order the entire Security Service’s unmarried employees to sleep with your boyfriend.」

「What horrible orders are you trying to give me, advisor?」

「Oh, and by the way, it’s not just the unmarried girls, but the men too.」

「Jin-kun’s butt is in trouble!」

Flustered, Himeko hurriedly tries to change the topic.

「M..more importantly, Advisor. Last night was amazing. I never knew you were that strong. I really respect you.」

「Why are you forcing yourself to praise me, about something like that….」

「Maybe I’d like you to give me some direct guidance next time <3.」

Himeko’s eyes sparkle as she speaks (it’s acting), and Shiki lets out a big sigh.

「No. I don’t like being exhausted. I’d rather just stay at home and drink beer all day.」

「…that’s probably why you can’t get a boyfriend.」

「Oh, hello, Kiyomi. I was ordered by the Advisor to….」

「That was a lye! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! So please just spare Jin-kun’s ass!」

「Huh? Are you sending e-mails with a young acquaintance you recently met? Who the hell is it? Don’t be having an open affair, you married woman!」

「Ah, the Advisor’s true feelings have come out.」

「Shut up, Nonomiya! Anyway, Kiyomi! From tomorrow, Nonomiya-chan’s training will be five times as hard so she can get stronger.」

「Five times as hard? Are you trying to kill me?」

「Then the advisor’s orders….」

「I’ll do it. I’ll do my best to protect Jin-kun’s ass!」

The place where Shiki and Himeko’s usual exchange takes place is in front of room 102 of the Happiness Dorm. The entrance to the most difficult of all the <<ruin>> on Nanaejima. Behind it lies a rare Nanana collection, the <<heaven and earth feng shui board>>. And the secret of Nanaejima. There is only one person guarding the entrance. The strongest creature on the island, Shiki Maboro.

Epilogue

The Ikkaku residence is located near the center of Nanaejima. At his desk in his study, working silently with a mountain of documents, is the leader of Nanejima, Shunju Ikkaku.

「Well those are my thoughts and the details of the <<game>>.」

Then, standing in front of him, Tensai Ikkyuu, who had finished telling her whole story, closes her mouth.

「That’s fine. With this, we’re all set for covering up the previous police arrest.」

Due to a deal with Ikkaku, Tensai had been telling him about the <<game>> from her own perspective. Taking her time, carefully, and politely.

「There’s one more thing I’d like to ask you.」

Because he had another question, Tensai wondered if there had been something wrong with her explanation.

「What is it?」

「What kind of person is Juugo Yama?」

Tensai’s cheek twitches at the unexpected question from Ikkaku, who continues to work as usual.

「What do you mean?」

「I’m asking about his personality.」

「Why do you care about Juugo?」

「He faced off with Sansa without backing down. That’s not something that can be done easily. And he even butted in on our conversation.」

「That was just a childish opinion.」

「What’s wrong? You seem upset.」

Tensai was taken aback by Ikkaku’s accusation, not looking up from his documents.

「That’s not true….」

No, deep down Tensai was jealous. That Shunju Ikkaku had shown interest in Juugo.

「Excuse me.」

Yuuya Hitotsubashi, Ikkaku’s first secretary and Tensai’s brother-in-law. More importantly he is also the adopted son of Shunju Ikkaku.

「Yuuya, I finished that paperwork.」

Ikkaku points to the pile of papers he has finished writing on, and goes back to writing on the papers Yuuya has brought instead. Ikkaku is extremely busy, and spends most of his day working. He hasn’t taken a break for the past nine years.

「By the way, what do you think of the Nanana collection?」

Ikkaku, who was writing with her pen, suddenly asked him this question, and Tensai answered frankly.

「They are just useful tools.」

Ikkaku looks up and says, 「I see」, with a smile on his face. He stopped what he was doing for the first time in several hours.

「Tensai, I will to make a deal with you.」

Yuuya, who was about to carry out a pile of documents, stops to hear the offer. Tensai also looks surprised at this opportunity.

「I never thought I’d get a deal proposal from you, Ikkaku. So, what is it?」

「I want you to investigate the Nanana Ryuugajou murder case.」

As Tensai’s eyes widen, Ikkaku continues.

「Have you read the report I prepared a long time ago?」

「Yes, I have seen the fruits of a year of your hard work, Ikkaku-san.」

「That’s not true. It’s the remains of a year of meaningless actions by an incompetent person. In the end, it was the deciding factor that caused that case to go unsolved.」

「Yes.」

「At the time, I wasn’t able to find the culprit. With that in mind, do you think it’s possible for you to find the culprit who killed Nanana Ryuugajou ten years ago?」

「It’s conceivable.」

「What is the basis of that answer?」

「Because I hold exactly the same views as Ikkaku-sama does now.」

「That is?」

「The involvement of the Nanana collection.」

「Please continue.」

「It is highly likely that the Nanana collection was used to kill Nanana Ryuugajou ten years ago. That is why I think that ten years ago, when you were investigating from the perspective of logical deduction, you may not have been able to identify the culprit.」

「I see. So, by filtering the Nanana collection, you can see who the culprit is?」

「Yes, but there are many problems with doing that.

「Such as?」

「First of all, it is extremely difficult to identify the Nanana collection used in the crime. All of the Nanana collections have some kind of power that is beyond human understanding. Above all, we have no idea about the number, types, or the full extent of them. In other words, if we assume that the Nanana collection is involved, at this point in time, it is possible to speculate in any way about the murder of Nanana Ryuugajou.」

「Therefore, it is impossible to identify the culprit at this time.」

「Tes, at this point, it is impossible.」

At Tensai’s emphatic words, Shunju Ikkaku’s nodded.

「We have no intention of setting a deadline. We’re not saying you have to do it. It would be fine if you could. Would you be able to identify the culprit under those conditions?」

「Ikkaku!」

At this point, Yuuya interjects.

「What is it, Yuuya?」

「Why are you making it Tensai? There are plenty of other ways….」

「After last night’s incident, it is my opinion that the series of events regarding the Nanana collection has reached a level that cannot be ignored when running Nanaejima. Therefore, I feel it is necessary to get to the bottom of the truth behind that murder case that has remained unresolved.」

「In that case, I will give orders from the Executive Board….」

「There are agreements within the GREAT 7 regarding this matter. First, we are forbidden from directly intervening in the acquisition of the Nanana collection. And secondly, we strictly forbid any future contact or investigation into Nanana Ryuugajou. These are the rules that the six of us agreed upon nine years ago.」

「…..」

「Although Sansa does not abide by the former, and Shiki does not the latter.」

He laughs sadly and continues, 「Well, that’s us too.」

「Even this time, the reason we went out was because there was a violation of the rules by Sansa, not because it was something to do with the Nanana collection. And that will not change in the future.」

「So it’s a rule?」

「Yes, it is a rule that we all agreed upon.」

Yuuya closed his mouth, and Tensai lowered her head.