“Th-this is!”
“What’s wrong?”
I approached the speaker while listening carefully, concentrating seriously on that music.
A high school girl suddenly standing in the corner of the shop – the master also looked at me with an exasperated expression saying “She’s doing something again.”
“Your Napolitan is here, Kanako… well, whatever.”
Ignoring Koyomin who had started eating by herself, I concentrated on listening carefully to the music playing in the shop.
…Hmm, but the more I listen, the more it feels somehow different.
(Lawyer Arima’s mind should have been in a language that seemed comprehensible but wasn’t. It’s hard to put into words, but…)
While I was getting frustrated about whether it was similar or not, I ended up listening to the entire song.
“Did something happen? Any hints from this song?”
Koyomin was adding extra Tabasco, and the sour smell made my thoughts fly away.
“Agh! I don’t know anymore! I’m eating Napolitan!”
I started eating heartily. Koyomin had already finished and was wiping around her mouth.
“Hints from that song?”
“──Mmmph! That’s right. ──Hammo! I thought the current music was similar. Munch munch… Master, what country was that music from?”
“That’s not an order,” he laughed, then checked his playlist for me.
“Wait a minute,” he said, and a few minutes later, he told me the music that had been playing was French.
“French? So Lawyer Arima starts speaking French in his mind when he gets excited?”
Koyomin said that, but I somehow didn’t feel convinced.
“Maybe that’s it, but something feels fundamentally different… Besides, the relationship between France and Lawyer Arima is too mysterious, and I can’t accept it.”
“Indeed, with that purely Japanese face, he doesn’t seem to be half or quarter foreign.”
“Exactly, and according to the security guard, he’s from Tohoku.”
“That’s right, he was from Tohoku, and… French-like?”
At that moment, Koyomin made a face as if she’d had an inspiration and suddenly stood up.
“Hey! What’s wrong all of a sudden? The bathroom?”
It didn’t seem to be the bathroom. The usually expressionless girl had a faint smile on her face.
“Kanako.”
“Yes? I’m Oba Kanako, but?”
“I may have solved all of Lawyer Arima’s mysteries.”
“Eh, ehhh?! ──Fugeh-hogehho!”
At Koyomin’s “I’ve solved everything” declaration, I almost spit out the Napolitan I had in my mouth.
“Are you okay? Should I add Tabasco?”
“Th-that’s adding insult to injury!”
I barely managed to prevent a disaster and asked if she had really solved it.
“Are you serious? When anyone other than a great detective says ‘I’ve solved everything,’ it’s usually a flag that they haven’t solved it…”
“Indeed, when Kanako says ‘I’ve solved everything,’ it’s usually bluffing. Well, this time should be fine.”
“Th-that’s unfair to use sound logic!”
Ignoring my protests, Koyomin turned toward the master and requested “something.”
“Um, Master, could I mess with the music playlist a bit?”
The master smoothly poked his face out of the kitchen and cheerfully gave permission, saying “Sure, there are no other customers anyway.” I wonder if that’s okay for a shop owner, but I’m truly grateful.
“And let’s call Naomi-san too. The more people we have to verify, the better.”
“Okay, I’ll arrange it. Let’s not nitpick about who’s the assistant this time.”
I sent an email, and after a while:
Woo-woo-woo…
Naomi-san appeared in a patrol car. I said “come quickly,” but I never thought she’d come with sirens blaring… that’s so like her.
As usual, she entered the coffee shop with riot police-level momentum and immediately praised Koyomin.
“Alright! That’s our Koyomi! You did well with Kanako’s hint! I’ll give you head pats!”
“Ah! That’s unfair, Naomi-san! I want to do it too!”
So for a while, the two of us petted Koyomin. There’s a statue in Asakusa that’s supposed to bring good luck when you pet it – we petted her like that.
“…Please don’t touch my armpits.”
“Oh? What’s this? Is that your weak spot? Tickle tickle.”
The moment Naomi-san, getting carried away, slipped her hand toward Koyomin’s armpit──
“──!?”
Koyomin flinched and blew Naomi-san away. Koyomin gets weak in the armpits and loses control of her strength. That’s cute too, though.
Blown away by the cyborg’s strength and rolling on the floor upside down, Koyomin apologized apologetically to Naomi-san.
“…Sorry.”
“No, it’s my fault for not following the warning.”
Even Naomi-san honestly apologized for this.
She returned to her seat and, collecting herself, asked about the mystery.
“So what was Lawyer Arima’s mystery? I investigated at headquarters, but there was no overseas study, no connections to organizations like the mafia at all.”
“I think that’s probably right. If my speculation is correct.”
Koyomin’s suggestive way of speaking. Ooh, she’s doing the great detective’s deduction part.
“First, please listen to this song.”
Getting permission from the master, Koyomin manipulated the BGM.
A familiar song began playing in the shop.
～♪
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
“This is? I’ve heard it before!”
“That’s the one about grandpa’s clock.”
Koyomin nodded respectfully.
“That’s right. It’s the song called [My Grandfather’s Clock].”
My Grandfather’s Clock – a famous song we even sang in music class.
After listening for a while, the impatient Naomi-san asked Koyomin:
“So? What’s this about?”
“Well now, please listen to this next song.”
Koyomin started messing with the BGM again.
What came flowing next was a similar melody – “Grandfather’s Clock.”
However, unlike before, the lyrics weren’t in Japanese… huh?
“Wait, what’s this?”
I opened my eyes wide in surprise.
“This is it! This is exactly like the language used in Lawyer Arima’s mind!”
Naomi-san said “No way” and listened carefully, trying to figure out what language it was.
“Hey! What language is this?! It sounds like French, but it also sounds like Japanese… what is this exquisite language? It’s so frustrating!”
“I’m glad you understand this frustrating feeling too, Naomi-san… so, what language is it?”
“How would I know?! No, really, I have no idea… but wait, huh? Japanese?”
As we held our heads in confusion, Koyomin puffed out her nostrils slightly and proudly revealed the answer.
“This is Akita dialect.”
“Akita dialect?!”
A dialect of all things?! I exchanged glances with Naomi-san.
“This is Japanese? Really?”
“Yes,” Koyomin nodded confidently.
“I vaguely remembered seeing a TV special about it a long time ago. It sounds remarkably like French, but it’s legitimate Japanese. Akita dialect… what they call ‘zuu-zuu ben’ (slurred speech).”
Hmm, indeed, once the foreign language bias is removed, it does sound like Japanese.
“I see, so when he got excited, his hometown’s incredible accent overflowed in his head.”
Convinced, Naomi-san laughed happily – laughing like a villain, really cackling.
“If Japanese is the base, then even a stupid kid could decode it with a little study, right? I have a subordinate from Akita at the Metropolitan Police, so I’ll call him right now for lessons!”
“Eh? Lessons?! I’m tired today though…”
But Naomi-san forcefully put her arm around my shoulder.
“Hey hey! With that attitude, you’ll never become a proper zuu-zuu ben master!”
“Master… I just need to be able to understand it…”
Ignoring my protests, she’s truly the embodiment of action.
The nuclear warhead of the Metropolitan Police, “Super Dangerous Naomi,” immediately called for her subordinate.
Woo-woo-woo…
An hour later, the second patrol car of the day arrived in front of the cafe. The sirens repeatedly echoing outside the shop had the people in the shopping district panicking, thinking there was an incident.
Moving to the office and waiting, the person who arrived was an exhausted young female detective. She had a gentle smile, but fatigue was somehow seeping through.
“Hello, I’m Ugohonjo Yuri from the Third Division.”
“Ah, hello, I’m Oba Kanako.”
“Ando Koyomi.”
“I’ve heard the rumors… Inspector Gori told me that Detective Oba has solved many cases with her deductions.”
Detective Ugohonjo saluted weakly. You could tell she was quite tired.
Naomi-san put her arm around her shoulder and introduced her with a smile. This way of interacting showed they were close and had high trust.
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