Gensokyo Detective, but surrounded by Shura Field

#9 - Section 9

“Well then, Mr. Chū Bái and Miss Alice…”

Beside them, Sakuya withdrew her gaze and slowly approached Chū Bái:

“Please follow me inside the Scarlet Devil Mansion to resolve this incident.”

Chapter 8: The Scarlet Devil Mansion Library Theft Case (Investigation Arc)

Under the guidance of the head maid, Izayoi Sakuya,

Chū Bái and Alice finally entered the Scarlet Devil Mansion as victors.

Before they went in, Alice quietly reminded Chū Bái:

“I remember it being quite luxurious inside, so please don't be rude once you're in.”

Chū Bái gave a thumbs up:

“Don't worry, I'm a person of high moral integrity, how could I be swayed by mere treasures?”

Thus, with the sound of the doors opening,

the luxurious interior of the Scarlet Devil Mansion was directly presented before Chū Bái's eyes.

Expensive red velvet carpets stretched out beneath their feet, and the surrounding lamp posts lit up one by one as they advanced. Gold-framed portraits depicted the Scarlet family's ancestors and past, and even the ordinary pillars were inlaid with sparkling gems.

Chū Bái said solemnly:

“Money is but an external thing, fleeting like smoke. How could we be tempted by such filthy objects…”

“Then hurry up and put down that gem!”

Alice said, sweating:

“That's a decoration inlaid on the pillar, you'll have to pay for it if you pry it off!”

Chū Bái immediately came to his senses, realizing that his body had uncontrollably picked up the gem from the wall.

He retreated repeatedly:

“Damn it, it can control my body? Is this the vampire's curse?”

“You're just greedy!”

Alice said helplessly:

“And why does that sound so familiar, like I said it somewhere before?”

Sakuya was not surprised by their conversation.

Or rather, even if Chū Bái really took a few gems, she wouldn't care.

Because the Scarlet Devil Mansion was indeed too rich, more than enough to buy the entire land of Gensokyo.

So she simply fulfilled her duty as the head maid, leading them through the corridor to the interior of the Great Library.

“This is the Great Library, which is the first crime scene.”

Sakuya took the initiative to introduce:

“To find out the truth, we have preserved the scene and have not disturbed it.”

“As for the other details, let Koakuma describe them. I have other housework to do, so I'll excuse myself.”

With that, she moved and disappeared on the spot.

In her place was a girl with long red hair, wearing a short skirt and black stockings, who flew out from the nearby bookshelf.

“Hello, guests, I am Koakuma. If you want to know any information, you can ask me at any time.”

“…Why does this feel like an NPC changing scenes to do a quest?” Chū Bái squinted.

Alice gently poked him:

“You're a detective, not a comedian, so hurry up and observe the scene.”

Chū Bái nodded and then carefully observed.

He saw that Koakuma had a curvy figure, a slender waist that could be grasped, and a graceful figure. Of course, the most eye-catching thing was the black stockings wrapped around the girl's slender legs.

The pure black silk perfectly accentuated the girl's leg shape, and the closed legs were tight and elastic. If they were gently clamped, it would probably be an unimaginable ecstasy.

The tender feet wrapped in black silk were hidden in the boots, but from the leg shape, it could be seen that the girl's tender feet were definitely quite delicious, giving people the urge to stick out their tongue and lick them back and forth…

“What exactly are you observing!”

A doll stabbed Chū Bái's butt hard with a lance, and Chū Bái immediately screamed like Tom the cat:

“I saw wrong, I'll start observing the scene now, don't stab my butt, Alice!”

“Seriously, can you be a little more serious!”

Alice didn't know how many times she had complained today:

“Staying with you for too long, my persona is about to become a吐槽役 (tsukkomi/straight man)…”

“Okay, okay, then I'll get serious!”

Koakuma looked at the two people singing and harmonizing with some embarrassment.

Speaking of which, are they really the detectives that Sakuya-sama invited, or are they just a comedy duo to liven up the atmosphere?

……

Composing himself.

Chū Bái finally entered a business-like attitude:

“Koakuma, please briefly introduce the case.”

“Okay, okay.”

Under Koakuma's vivid description, Chū Bái also learned the specific details of the case—

「One day, Patchouli Knowledge, the Seven Luminaries Magician who lived in the Great Library, was reading several newly obtained magic books.」

「Because she was very tired and sleepy, she fell asleep on the table.」

「Coincidentally, the Scarlet Devil Mansion was being renovated, and someone came to replace the library table.」

「So Patchouli vaguely straightened up, allowing the old table to be carried away by the movers.」

「After replacing it with a new table, she continued to lie down and sleep.」

「Until the next day, she suddenly discovered that those magic books had disappeared.」

“This is the general course of the case.”

Koakuma seriously took out a piece of paper:

“And the following are some of the information currently compiled:”

“1: These books cannot be found in the library.”

“2: The movers did not leave the books on the old table.”

“3: The movers could not steal the magic books by normal means.”

“Because Sakuya is checking at the door, things like magic books with a strong aura will definitely be noticed.”

“4: Apart from the three movers, no outsiders have entered the Great Library during the theft.”

“5: The Scarlet Devil Mansion has ruled out other factors, such as the culprit being actually Koishi from the Underground Palace, or the magic books growing legs and running away… The real culprit is 「definitely」 among the three movers.”

“The above is the clues we have compiled so far.”

“Please help us identify who is the thief and what method did they use to steal these books?”

……

After listening to Koakuma's story.

Chū Bái frowned slightly and began to think.

This is a classic suspect-three-choice problem, which has even been filmed for more than a thousand episodes in the world of a certain death god elementary school student.

But if it is in a place like Gensokyo where common sense doesn't apply, it is still a bit difficult to investigate.

Because this place doesn't talk about science, it talks about metaphysics.

Even if the murderer has been locked to the three movers, it is likely to involve supernatural abilities, which need to be considered comprehensively.

Thinking like this, Chū Bái pushed his air glasses:

“After preliminary investigation, I have a general understanding.”

“The person who stole the magic books must be the thief. And the way he stole the magic books is probably his method of theft!”

“Oh, oh, that makes sense!”

Koakuma subconsciously applauded.

Then she suddenly felt that something was wrong…

It seemed that Chū Bái said something, but it seemed that he didn't say anything?

“Of course, I already have a specific investigation method.”

Under Koakuma's admiring gaze and Alice's helpless gaze, Chū Bái said confidently:

“As long as you follow my method, I guarantee that you can quickly and easily punish the criminals!”

“Eh? Really? That's amazing!”

Koakuma quickly echoed: