January 17th
Weather: It was supposed to be cloudy!
Recorder: Hariu
The winter break has ended, and school has started again.
So, now I’m swamped with homework. The real battle with long-term vacation homework begins about three days before the vacation ends, and the final sprint is after the vacation is over!
I mean, come on! I’m actually doing my math homework properly without looking at the answers, so I think I’m better than the people who copy the answers and finish before the end of the break! Yeah!
So, I thought about staying at school to do my homework before going home, but the classroom was taken over by the brass band. (The section with those long pipes. What’s it called again? I only know it’s not a trumpet.)
The library seems a bit awkward to go to lately because of some recent commotion. Besides, I’m not really the type who can study in the library anyway. It’s just not a place where I can relax.
I thought about invading a classroom that’s not mine, but for various reasons, the classrooms where my friends are aren’t available for studying today.
So, when it comes to other places where I can study, the options are limited.
…Which is why I reluctantly came to the chemistry lab. There’s no club activities today, but oh well. After all, even if there’s someone here, they’re likely to be a chemistry club member, and since the lab is on the north side of the building, it’s fairly quiet and away from the classrooms. It’s times like this that I’m glad I’m in the chemistry club. Haha.
And, as expected, when I entered the lab, there was already someone here.
“Oh, Maito-san, are you working on your winter break homework too?”
Maito-san was facing away from the door, working at a desk. Well, knowing her, there’s no way she hasn’t finished her winter break homework yet, but I asked anyway.
“No, it’s not homework… Wait, hold on, Hariu-kun, does that mean you haven’t finished your winter break homework yet?”
“Yeah.”
I answered honestly because honesty is the best policy, and Maito-san made a really shocked face. Haha.
“…The due date is today, right?”
“Yeah. For classical literature, chemistry, and home economics. Math and English are due during class, and modern literature is due over the weekend, so I haven’t done those yet!”
“Why couldn’t you apply that planning ability during the winter break?”
Well, that’s just how I am, so it can’t be helped. Hahaha.
“So, what are you doing, Maito-san? Homework?”
Maito-san isn’t irresponsible, but she’s not super diligent either. In other words, she’s not the type to go all out with preparation and review. So, I thought it might be homework.
“No, no. This is what I’m doing.”
What she showed me was a familiar notebook.
The notebook was A4-sized. It had a golden-yellow cover with “Experiment Notebook” written in Gothic font… And on top of that, written in marker, was “Accounting Notebook.”
“Oh, you’re working on the accounting book?”
“Yeah. Laundry starch was ridiculously cheap at a local store, so I bought some. It’s not something that spoils, so it’s better to buy it when it’s cheap, right?”
Yeah. Recently, laundry starch itself has become rare, and if it was on sale, it’s definitely a good idea to buy it.
…Oh, in case you’re wondering why the chemistry club needs laundry starch, it’s because we use it to make slime.
The slime we make by mixing laundry starch with borax solution and water is the main attraction at our chemistry club’s cultural festival booth. We keep a stock of it since it doesn’t spoil, so it’s fine. Yeah.
“So, I figured I might as well record it in the accounting notebook while I’m putting the laundry starch on the shelf.”
“You’re so diligent.”
“Well, compared to you, anyway.”
Yeah. I’m the type who puts things off, thinking I’ll do them all at once later, only to end up in a mess and having a hard time!
Leaving the diligent Maito-san aside, I started spreading my notebook on the desk to get on with my homework.
The lab has big desks, and since there aren’t any other people using it, it’s great because I can spread out and use a lot of space.
…So, my homework was progressing fairly well.
“Hariu…”
Someone called my name in a voice that sounded like they were dying.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
When I looked over, Maito-san was looking at me with a face that indeed looked like she was about to die.
“Um, um, well…”
She said in a voice that was darker and more lifeless than I ever thought possible, then paused for a moment before continuing.
“Somehow… 2000 yen is missing…”
There it is! Just as I thought!
“Huh, wait… What do you mean 2000 yen is missing?”
I couldn’t just ignore it, so I put my homework aside and went to see what was going on at her desk.
I compared the numbers in the notebook with the money neatly arranged and stacked on the desk.
…Yeah. There’s a 2000 yen difference between the amount in the accounting notebook and the actual money. Of course, there’s less money in reality.
“Did you make a calculation error?”
“No, I shouldn’t have.”
Yeah, that’s true. She’s not the type to make mistakes with money. Probably. I mean, she might have a careless moment, but if Maito-san is making a face like she’s about to die, it probably means she’s already checked multiple times, so it doesn’t seem like it’s just a simple mistake.
“Besides, the last time I checked, all the money was there.”
Maito-san pointed to a line in the accounting notebook.
The last time she updated the notebook was during the club trip, it seems. Oh yeah, we bought a lot of stuff then. Ingredients for hotpot and the like.
Sure enough, the notebook listed items like “Chinese cabbage,” “chicken thighs,” and “strawberry pudding,” and the receipts were carefully attached.
“So, you’re saying the money was all there during the trip?”
“That’s right… But somewhere between then and today, 2000 yen disappeared…”
…Hmm.
If I trust Maito-san, then this really means 2000 yen has gone missing.
And that… normally makes you think of theft, right?
“Um, have you told any other chemistry club members about this?”
“No. The teacher is on a business trip today, so I haven’t reported it yet.”
That seems a bit dangerous. It looks like a case of theft, so it’s better if more people know about it.
Since this is an emergency… I guess it can’t be helped.
“Alright, I’ll go call the others, so just wait here for a bit.”
“Huh? What? There’s no club today, so everyone’s gone home…”
“Nope, they’re still here. Haha. Okay, I’ll be right back.”
“Huh? What? Wha—what…?”
Maito-san looked troubled, but I hope she forgives me since I’ll be back soon.
“Is everyone here?”
“Hariu, did you finish your homework?”
So, I headed over to my friend’s classroom, which is, more accurately, the classroom next to mine.
There, almost all the chemistry club members, except for me and Maito-san, were gathered.
…Why were they all gathered here? Well, that’s obvious.
“So, you gave up on your homework, huh? Ready to play?”
Suzumoto asked me, holding a deck of cards. It looked like his match with President had just ended.
…Well, yeah.
We’re just a bunch of guys, so while not all the members are into it, some of us enjoy playing trading card games. Today, we had planned to hang out after school and play in the classroom, but I had to decline because of my homework.
But now, I need to ask everyone to take a break from their games. It’s an emergency, so it can’t be helped.
“Sorry, but could you guys come to the lab? It’s an emergency.”
“…Did something happen?”
“Yeah. Maito-san is dying.”
The shocked expressions on their faces were priceless. Haha. I wasn’t exactly lying, either.
“Whoa, everyone really came! Why?! Are you guys that free?”
“She’s not dead. You totally exaggerated. Why is she still alive?”
“And then suddenly, I get insulted right off the bat.”
“Just die already.”
“That’s so mean…”
Maito-san was already taking damage from their comments, but hey, since I dragged these duelists away from their game, I guess she can put up with some complaints.
“…So. Are you going to explain why you called us here?”
So yeah, Maito-san might be alive, but she still looks like she’s about to die, and you can tell her spirit is crushed. Everyone’s kind of fidgety, sensing that something serious is up.
“Uh… So…”
Maito-san quickly pulled out the accounting notebook and began explaining.
“2000 yen is missing.”
That’s it! End of explanation!
But since that’s not quite enough, I filled in the details for everyone.
Basically, the money in the notebook matched the actual amount during the club trip.
But today, when she was recording the purchases for the items needed for experiments, the money didn’t add up.
That’s the gist of it. There’s nothing more Maito-san can explain.
“…So first of all, let’s confirm: Has anyone made any new purchases?”
Maito-san looked around at everyone, but no one had any idea. I kind of expected that.
“Neither Itoigawa-senpai nor I have received any reports from winter break until yesterday, and there haven’t been any noticeable new items in the lab, so it’s hard to believe senpai bought something with club funds… If it were the teacher, they would have paid upfront and definitely reported it…”
We all exchanged glances.
Everyone had a tense expression, nodding at each other, and then President spoke up.
“Well, this looks like a theft.”
So there you have it!
Our chemistry club’s funds have been stolen!
…
This is bad, isn’t it?