1

Stark marble and stone bricks formed the imposing arches and towers of Tokiwa Private Academy, its sprawling campus and mighty buildings nurturing the new generation of Japan’s elite, the sons and daughters of the rich and powerful. And in one small corner of this exclusive space, an intense exchange of stares was taking place.

On the second floor of the main building, overlooking the grand plaza leading to the primary gate, was a spacious room, easily larger than the average classroom; this was the Crimes Circle’s office. Instead of school desks and chairs, the room was filled on each side by rows of massive bookshelves. In the very center sat a low rectangular tea table, two couches on either side of it, and beyond that, a wide, sturdy wooden desk and armchair, directly facing the room’s entrance.

As if to subvert the luxurious atmosphere of the room, a boy wearing a school uniform sat casually with his legs perched atop the desk, a cup of black tea in his hand and an unpleasant grin on his face, his eyes directed at the guest impatiently tapping her foot in front of him. At either side of the table, five others were seated; all students, enjoying tea and an assortment of snacks, most paying no attention to the scene unfolding around them. And finally, close to the entrance, the bespectacled guest with the stony expression, wearing an armband around the right sleeve of her blazer, was returning the boy’s gaze with a glare of her own.

Setting his cup down on the desk and widening his smirk, the boy—the president of the Crimes Circle—addressed the visitor at last, breaking down the tension that had governed the room.

“Representative of class 3-A and vice-chairwoman of the Tokiwa Academy Disciplinary Committee, Moribe-senpai—to what do we owe the pleasure?”

As if resigning herself to the annoyance to come, the girl—vice-chairwoman Moribe—sighed lightly before reequipping her steely facade.

“Shirahama-kun, I… we have a case for you, members of the Crimes Circle.”

Upon hearing that, Shirahama Ryoukai’s smile widened even more, raising one eyebrow as he questioned Moribe.

“Oh? In other words, there’s some unruly fellow out there that the fine ladies and gentlemen of the Disciplinary Committee have failed to pin down?”

Biting her lip, Moribe eventually acquiesced, a look of displeasure on her face, “...That’s right. The Disciplinary Committee is formally requesting your help.”

Upon hearing this, Shirahama leaned back in his chair and brought his hand to his temple. “Haha. To think you ever-so-prideful folks would come to our little gathering for help, hahaha. It’s a real honor for us, genuinely, hahahaha.” Clearly unable to hide his glee, the president of the Crimes Circle desperately tried suppressing his laughter, rattling his armchair back and forth as he held his stomach.

Then, abruptly, his laughter ceased. And, with his expression still hidden behind his hand, he called out, “Well, what do you say, my fellows?”

“It’s a real pain in the ass, but we ain’t got any other choice, do we?” “Let’s just get this over with.” “Sounds like fun! Let’s do it!” “Besides, having them owe us is quite the delightful prospect, wouldn’t you say?” “O-of course, I’ll be happy to help in any way I can!”

An eclectic chorus of voices rang out, each one asserting the individuality of its owner, and yet their words were nonetheless all in accord. Seeing his proposal receive a unanimous agreement, the president’s expression momentarily softened—before it suddenly vanished from sight, covered up.

Without warning, Shirahama put force into the legs he’d until then rested upon the desk, and bent them upwards, forming an acute angle with his torso still laid on the chair. Then, just as suddenly, he swung them back down, catapulting himself off the desk and, in a fluid motion, landed cross-legged atop its edge. Then, after grabbing the teacup next to him and taking one final swig, he addressed his visitor once more, his dull eyes gleaming, “So? Don’t keep us waiting. What’s this case all about?”

2

The Crimes Circle was an informal student organization acting within Tokiwa Academy. Despite not even being officially recognized as a club, it nonetheless retained a level of influence which could be easily discerned from its luxurious base of operations. The source of that influence could mainly be attributed to its president, Shirahama Ryoukai, who was the grandson of one of Tokiwa Academy’s board directors. That being said, the Circle was no mere casual hangout.

Touting itself as a gathering dedicated to the study of criminology and deductive reasoning, the Crimes Circle’s membership requirements were stringent. Potential members were required to take a written exam on top of a personal interview conducted by the president. Thanks to that, only five students had managed to earn the privilege of calling themselves participants, yet those five could rightfully be called the best of the best pertaining to matters of the mind.

Aside from the president, the club’s current lineup was as follows: Araya Ryuuo of class 3-B, a man gifted in the art of rhetoric; despite his delinquent appearance, it was said he could argue a man into believing the sky red if he wanted to; Gekihara Esuzu of class 2-C, the head of the Drama Club and a bright-eyed girl in constant search of both the tragedy and the comedy of life; Kunugi Eisuke of class 3-B, better known by his pen name Sekimonji Shisai, a published author and a stern individual always seeking to challenge his intellect; Damari Arisa of class 3-A, a charming and mysterious lady with a sharp mind and even sharper observational skills, able to analyze the deepest recesses of the human mind; and finally, Kanshou Kisuke of class 1-D, the sole first year student in the Circle, an unassuming and unremarkable timid boy whose feat of passing the exam and interview was as surprising as his decision to join in the first place.

Aside from their main activities of studying both present and past criminal cases, the Crimes Circle occasionally also helped out those that came to them for consultation. That being said, one of those requests coming from the Disciplinary Committee was certainly unprecedented.

The Tokiwa Private Academy Disciplinary Committee was a student organization dedicated to keeping the peace and maintaining the academy’s school regulations. As such, they had the authority to directly sanction those they determined to have violated these principles. An efficient force of iron-willed students who prided themselves on always catching their targets, it was rare that they would rely on the help of an outside organization like this. That’s why Shirahama was sure that whatever Moribe had in store for them, it was to be a challenging affair.

“Very well.” Moribe closed her eyes solemnly, pushing away her apprehensions, and responding to the group’s expectant gazes. “This case is undoubtedly one of foul play. To be precise, it concerns a certain box of poisoned chocolates.”

3

“It happened on Friday, three days ago. In the Nijisou Dormitory.”

“Hoh. The Nijisou Dormitory, eh? No wonder you’re desperate to resolve this incident.”

Even among the elite students of Tokiwa Academy, the name of the Nijisou Dormitory held a special importance. It was no mere student dormitory; the private individual rooms were all furnished with the most expensive and state of the art appliances that money could buy, the meals were cooked by the former personal chef of a foreign nation’s royal family, and every inch of the building was designed to bring the maximum amount of comfort a human being can feel. Naturally, it was reserved for only the most elite of the elite, the kind of paradise that even millionaires can only dream of. With a strict rule against bringing in any outsiders save from close family, most of the academy’s students looked upon the grand building with envy in their eyes.

My grandfather is friends with some influential people in the hotel business, you see, Shirahama had explained before. Incidentally, out of the members of the Crimes Circle, the only one currently residing at the dormitory was Sekimonji, who was accepted through a special program where a select few prodigies were allowed to reside there free of charge.

“At 7:30 AM that morning, as he exited his room and went into the lobby, a second year student named Kaneya Yuuta was given a gift package by an employee. The package had been left for him by an anonymous individual, containing only a carefully gift-wrapped box of liqueur chocolates.”

At the mention of the name Kaneya Yuuta, a noticeable shift occurred in the expressions of a few of the people in the room. Specifically, Araya Ryuuo’s ever-present scowl warped even further, like he’d just swallowed something rotten, while the other two girls exchanged wry smiles.

“It seems that Kaneya-kun assumed the gift had been sent by a secret admirer or some such. Either way, he didn’t seem to be in the mood for chocolate at that point. He was debating just throwing it away, but at that point another student entered the lobby, third year Fukusen Koujuurou.

“Noticing what was about to happen, it appears that Fukusen-kun persuaded Kaneya-kun to refrain from throwing the chocolates away, not wanting to waste them, instead taking them for himself.”

Pausing for a moment, Moribe took in the expressions of all those present before continuing.

“—Now, some of you may be aware of this, but Kaneya-kun is a member of Tokiwa’s basketball team. A star player, in fact.. And it just so happens that there was an interhigh match taking place later that day.”

“Get on with it, would ya? Where’s the case?”

Araya impatiently butted in, seemingly irritated by something.

“I’ll cut to the chase, then. That box of chocolates was poisoned.”

“Poisoned, you say?” asked Sekimonji, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing lethal or seriously harmful, of course. Rather, every one of the chocolates was laced with a strong dose of slow acting laxatives. If Kaneya-kun had actually eaten any of them, well, needless to say, his match would have been ruined.”

“So y’mean we just barely missed the opportunity to witness that high and mighty asshole shitting his pants with an audience in the hundreds? God, what a tragedy!” Araya exclaimed, leaning back on the couch with his hands clasped behind his head.

“I don’t suppose there’s any chance of it being an accident?” asked Damari.

“We had the Chemistry Club examine the chocolates. They were tampered with by someone, without a doubt. Whoever it was that did this, they definitely had malicious intent.”

“How terrible…” Kanshou solemnly expressed, the gravitas in his voice perhaps ill-fitting for the rather tame situation.

“A devious plan though it might’ve been, surely the Disciplinary Committee has no need to command its full force against a failed crime without a victim,” Sekimonji said sardonically, seeming indifferent to the affair.

“The Disciplinary Committee always commits itself to cracking down on nefarious activities. Although… a failed crime though it might have been, sadly, we can’t say that there weren’t any victims.”

A dismayed expression emerging from beneath her cold mask, Moribe continues her explanation.

“As I mentioned before, Kaneya-kun gave Fukusen-kun the box of chocolates. And Fukusen-kun, in turn, gave the box as a gift to first year Kiyozumi Juna.”

Fukusen Koujuurou and Kiyozumi Juna’s relationship was somewhat famous. Both being the children of the heads of two large conglomerates, they were already engaged despite their young age, their marriage having been decided since their infancy. In spite of such circumstances, they shared a pure love unencumbered by political machinations, the inspiring romance being a subject of bright-eyed admiration by a large portion of the female students. Kiyozumi Juna herself was considered the school idol for her pure and honest personality and her strong sense of justice.

“On that same Friday evening, Kiyozumi-san had to attend an important business event held by her family. It seems she was even slated to give a speech.

“Unfortunately, however, some time before she left, she ate some of the chocolates gifted to her by Fukusen-kun. Quite a few, in fact. Enough that they rendered her completely out of commission for the entire event.”

Kiyozumi Juna’s notorious sweet tooth had come to be her downfall.

“That’s awful…” murmured Gekihara, no doubt picturing the unfortunate girl’s plight with the clear vision of a dramaturge.

“Whatever their motives may have been, the irresponsible actions of this miscreant have hurt an innocent bystander. We of the Disciplinary Committee won’t rest until this wrong has been righted.” Moribe’s tone and expression remained level, but her words betrayed her ardent desire for justice.

“Any substantial evidence?” Shirahama, previously as animated as usual, had gone strangely terse, seemingly lost in thought.

“We have two primary leads. First, the wrapping paper that the box was wrapped in. Rather than being a standard store-bought design, after looking into it, we realized that the paper was actually an original creation by the Arts & Crafts Club, and it was created very recently.”

“Second, the time when the box of chocolates was dropped off at the front desk of the Nijisou Dormitory. The box was left there, alongside a form indicating the recipient, during a brief period of time in between shifts when the desk was unmanned, most likely occurring on the evening of the previous day, on Thursday, between 4:45 and 5:00 PM.

“Incidentally, we also checked the security camera footage, but the culprit seems to have navigated through the cameras’ blind spots, because no suspicious figures were caught.”

“Hmm…” Shirahama continued pondering silently.

“Quite the mysterious affair…” offered a dazzled Kanshou.

“What’s mysterious here is the incompetence of this Academy’s agents,” Sekimonji bluntly proclaimed. “This crime is as by-the-book as they come. There should’ve been a million checks to prevent this, and you should normally have had this crook thrown out on his knees already,”he added, clearly fed up with the situation as Kanshou desperately tried to calm him down with a flustered “Now, now.”

“This just means it’ll be a simple matter to resolve, no?” said Damari with her usual amused expression.

“I’d feel bad busting anyone who tried doing the world some good by taking that rat Kaneya down a peg, but well, I guess I oughta blame ‘em for screwing up a great opportunity like that,” remarked Araya with an unpleasant smirk.

“If we work together, we can have this guy crying at our feet in no time!” Gekihara cheerfully exclaimed.

As the members of the Crimes Circle relayed their various comments, one boy remained silent—Shirahama, who, after hearing Gekihara’s remark, finally spoke up.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, now, my fellows.” After making sure all eyes were on him, the president got off of the desk he’d been sitting on, and proceeded to walk to the left of the room—towards the archives.

“Does this case not remind you of anything?”

4

Shirahama’s unexpected question momentarily stunned all those present into silence. The boy advanced through the path between the bookshelves, stopping at a specific point and taking out a certain folder.

“Ah…!” At the same time, a gasp of realization rang out—the voice belonged to Sekimonji.

“As expected of you, Sekimonji-kun—I knew a man such as yourself, with an acute interest in the intellectual puzzle of criminology, would remember this case.”

Saying so, Shirahama returned to the center of the room, opened the folder in his hand and instantly located his target among the multitudinous cases detailed within before placing the file upon the table such that all Circle members could look at it. Incidentally, Sekimonji insisted upon being referred to with the honorific sensei, calling it the reverence a published author like him deserves, but Shirahama was the only one who didn’t follow this request on account of being president. The stubbornness of both men never failed to elicit a sigh from the Circle’s female contingent.

“It’s another case involving a box of poisoned chocolates that took place in England back in the 20’s, correct?”

“That’s right,” Shirahama affirmed. “And what’s more, it’s a case that the original Crimes Circle took part in investigating.”

The concept of Tokiwa Academy’s Crimes Circle originated from an organization active in the early 20th century in England, headed by a writer and amateur detective. The original Circle tackled puzzling cases too difficult for the police to solve, helping shed light on the schemes of cunning and meticulous culprits. Shirahama was inspired by their accolades when he created the current Crimes Circle, though the scope of the present group’s activities nowhere reached that of their progenitors’.

“The poisoned chocolates case of 1929 remains unsolved to this day. The Crimes Circle performed an experiment whereupon, after being given a week to independently investigate the case, each member of the Circle proposed their theories one by one over the course of a few weeks’ time.

“Though each illustrious member came up with some splendid theories in their own right, they were ultimately unable to reach a definitive truth, with the culprit getting away scot-free with their heinous crime. It was a truly tragic outcome.”

“That’s cool and all, but what’s that gotta do with our current situation?” Araya impatiently asked, not paying any mind to Shirahama’s spirited and impassioned oration.

“Don’t you see what a miraculous circumstance we find ourselves embroiled in, Araya-kun? Nearly a century later, that a fellowship bearing the same title as theirs would wind up tackling a case which mirrors that old crime so flawlessly! I can scarcely imagine an occurrence better described by the word fate!” Shirahama’s monologue was growing in intensity, but none of the others present matched his excitement at the revelation.

“So what do you suggest we do, then, President?” seemingly unbothered by Shirahama’s manic outburst, Damari asked in her usual soft, enchanting tone, a glimmer of expectation in her eyes as she decided to humor him.

“What we shall do is nothing other than our duty as aspiring criminologists!” Shirahama declared, the smirk on his face widening by the second. “We shall undertake the same experiment as that of our forefathers, and in doing so overcome them!”

“Ya don’t mean…?” “Oh boy…” “How utterly idiotic.” Various groans of exasperation rang out within the Circle’s room as the members realized their president’s plan.

“Each one of us shall independently come up with a theory, which we will exchange over the course of our meetings. I have faith that by the end of this exercise we will have ourselves a definitive answer to Kiyozumi-san’s ordeal. And who knows, perhaps in doing so we might even uncover a vital clue overlooked for ages past that shall finally put to rest the ghost of the poisoned chocolates’ case. What do you say, my fellows?” Shirahama questioned his compatriots, not a single trace of doubt on his visage.

“Every time I think you can’t possibly come up with a more ridiculous idea, you always find a way to overcome my expectations.” “No way in hell I’m wastin’ any amount of my life on this bullshit.” “You guys know there’s no shot of changing his mind once he gets as hyper as this, right?” “Ugh. I’m afraid you’re right, Gekihara.” “Why not give it a chance?” “Really? Are you sure about this, Ari-san?” “Who knows, it might turn out to be unexpectedly amusing.” “Well, if you’re fine with it then so am I!” “Doesn’t look like I got much of a choice, eh? Goddamn it.” “Might as well fully commit to being a clown, I suppose.” “I-If you guys are fine with it then so am I!”

Clap! The resonant sound of Shirahama’s palms hitting one another signaled the end of the Circle’s debate. “So, it looks like the motion passes with unanimous approval once again, eh?”

“You truly are a despotic leader, you know that?” Sekimonji could only let out a weak sigh.

“So what do we do, then? Do we also take a week to investigate like they did back then?” asked Gekihara.

“What our forebears needed a week to achieve, I’m sure the current members of the Circle can accomplish in a day, don’t you?” replied the president with a wink.

“Well, at least it means I won’t hafta waste my brain power on this crap for too long…”

“What a relief it must be, Araya-kun, especially since you don’t have much of it to spare.”

“Why not go back to pretendin’ you’re clever by grinnin’ to yourself in the corner, eh, Damari?”

“Wawawa-w-wait, you guys! Stop fighting!”

“Very well then! We shall reconvene at the usual time tomorrow to hear the first theory! I have high expectations of you, my fellows!” Paying no mind to Kanshou’s desperate attempts to prevent his seniors from acting on the murderous glares they were sending one another, Shirahama declared the end of the current discussion.

“Ahem!” However, preventing Shirahama from going off on his merry way, a profoundly displeased clearing of the throat reminded everyone that vice-chairwoman Moribe was, in fact, still in the room. “Maybe this is all a game to you all, but I will remind you that this is a serious incident in which an innocent student was harmed. I won’t tolerate you making a mockery of it with your games.”

“My, my, Moribe-senpai, I didn’t expect you to start complaining like that right after coming to ask us a favor.” Shirahama’s smile remained unflinching in spite of Moribe’s icy reprimands. “But no matter. If you instead have some other means of resolving this case within a week’s time without our assistance, you’re welcome to undertake them.”

“Urk...” It was clear that Moribe had more she wanted to say, but she had no choice but to swallow it down, glaring helplessly at her condescending collaborator.

“It’s a pleasure working with you. Don’t worry—I assure you that by this time next week, Kiyozumi-san’s saboteur will have been brought to justice.”

5

And so, just as the previous Crimes Circle had before them, Tokiwa Academy’s foremost gathering of eccentrics declared the start of yet another cycle of deduction.

The Circle elected to determine the order of the members’ presentations through the impartial drawing of lots. And so their turns were decided—Araya Ryuuo, Gekihara Esuzu, Sekimonji Shisai, Shirahama Ryoukai, Damari Arisa, and finally, Kanshou Kisuke.

Thus did the ring of the clock tower’s bell signal the reopening of the fools’ play. Each one would play their part with elation, not knowing that their empty words were nothing more than sandcastles awaiting the tide. The curtains raise. As it has, so it shall continue:

The Poisoned Chocolates Case was not yet over.