Investigation- Groundwork

And so, Toko-senpai and I began our preparations to “catch Karen and Kamokura-senpai in the act.”

I met up with Toko-senpai again the next day. Today, we were at a different coffee shop than yesterday.

“Oh, right. There’s something I need to tell you first,” I started, as soon as she sat down. I had arrived early again today.

“What is it?”

“When I first called you, you told me not to tell anyone about this, but…”

“Did you talk to someone?”

“I’m sorry. I told Yota Ishida. After everything happened, I just couldn’t keep my feelings bottled up alone.”

“Ishida? You mean Ishida-kun from our circle? The other freshman?”

“Yes. Like me, you, and Kamokura-senpai, he’s an alum of Kaihin Makuhari High.”

“Is he trustworthy?”

“Definitely. I’ve known him since middle school; he’s practically my best friend.”

There was no doubt about that. We went to different middle schools but attended the same prep school. We hit it off from the moment we met, and once we realized we were aiming for the same high school, we supported each other with a “let’s do our best together” attitude. Even for the university entrance exams, we applied to the same university and the same department.

Plus, truth be told, Ishida hates Kamokura-senpai too.

“The way that guy tries so hard to act cool just ticks me off. Sure, he’s handsome, but he needs to just act like a normal person for once,” he’d say.

I figured it was probably better not to mention that to Toko-senpai, given she’s Kamokura-senpai’s girlfriend.

Toko-senpai’s expression clouded with complexity upon hearing my words.

“If you say so, I have no choice but to believe you… but be careful. Make absolutely sure he understands not to leak this to anyone else. And don’t tell him that you and I are working together!”

She paused for a beat.

“As you probably know, our circle was started by Kaihin Makuhari High graduates, so about a third of the members are from the same school. You never know who is connected to whom or where a story might leak out from.”

Toko-senpai, Tetsuya Kamokura, Yota Ishida, and I all belong to the same social circle, “Waki-Ai-Ai.” As Toko-senpai said, it was founded about six years ago by alumni of my high school, the Prefectural Kaihin Makuhari High. It started as a trekking and camping club, but now it’s a “jack-of-all-trades” event circle. It’s full of information on past exam questions and which classes are easy to get credits in, so most people from our high school end up joining.

By the way, Karen Mitsumoto is from a high school in Saitama.

“Have you told anyone, Toko-senpai?”

“No. Not so far. But in that sense, I do have a friend I trust, so I might tell just her.”

“Who is it?”

“Someone you don’t know. Have you heard of Kazumi Kano? She’s a sophomore in the Economics department.”

“No.”

“We went to the same middle school. We lived close by and have been best friends since then. She didn’t go to Kaihin Makuhari—she went to a private high school. We just happened to end up at the same university again.”

If that’s the case, Kazumi Kano isn’t in our circle, so there shouldn’t be much overlap. Since she’s Toko-senpai’s best friend, her boyfriend, Kamokura-senpai, would surely know her through that connection, though.

“For me, it’s Kazumi; for you, it’s Ishida-kun. If they are truly trustworthy, it might be a good idea to have them help us,” Toko-senpai muttered thoughtfully.

“Right? I think it might be better to ask someone like Ishida rather than moving around myself!”

“Wait! It’s too early to reach a conclusion. Rather than relying on others from the start, it might be more effective to investigate as much as we can on our own first, and then ask for help when the time is right.”

She was right. I needed to be more cautious.

I realized I might be subconsciously wanting to talk to someone just to escape the pain of being cheated on—hoping for someone to agree with me and say, “Wow, your girlfriend and that senior are terrible people.”

I looked at Toko-senpai again. She was calmly drafting the plan to solidify the “evidence of infidelity” without a single flinch on her refined face.

The pain of being cheated on must be the same for her. Yet, she barely let it show, maintaining her composure. She wasn’t just beautiful; she was mentally formidable.

“Understood. So, what do we start with?”

“Tomorrow is Thursday. Since those two met on Monday this week, they might not meet tomorrow, but try to casually ask for her schedule. I’ll ask Tetsuya about his plans for tomorrow, too.”

“And if it looks like they’re going to meet?”

“You make a promise to meet Karen-san on Friday. We need to see if there are any changes in her conversation or attitude then.”

“Is that all?”

“It’s enough for now. Even if we do more, we’ll only check what time they left school and which direction they headed. If we move too much, they’ll catch on. By the way, do you call or text Karen-san every day?”

“Up until Monday, I called or messaged her almost every day. When we first started dating, she told me that ‘contacting her every day is a basic duty of a boyfriend.’ But after… well, I haven’t had the heart to talk to her, so I haven’t reached out.”

“Which means you didn’t call or message her yesterday. Basically, right after the SNS message from Tetsuya came in. That’s bad,” Toko-senpai said, her face darkening.

“At any rate, contact her today. And make sure you apologize sincerely for not reaching out.”

I have to apologize to Karen? Even though she’s the one cheating?

Toko-senpai must have read my expression. She continued:

“Keep your current habits. Do not change them. We can estimate if she’s alone at that time based on whether or not she replies immediately.”

“I see.”

“Act exactly as you normally do. Don’t increase the number of messages, and don’t contact her at times you wouldn’t normally. Catching evidence in the initial stages is key. If the other person gets suspicious, it’s over.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“It might be better if we avoid meeting in person for a while. But let’s make sure to check in with each other at least once a day.”

“Got it!”