The next day, I asked Mai what class the club member who was absent yesterday, Akito, was in.

But when I went to his classroom, I didn't find him there, and his classmates told me that he usually eats lunch outside.

And just as they said, when I left the school building, I found him sitting on a bench under a tree in the school yard.

He was sitting alone in the shade of tree branches, hiding from the scorching sun.

As I approached him, I greeted him, "Hi..."

He looked up at me and I noticed that his expression was a little tired, as if he hadn't slept well.

"Hi..." he replied.

He had a very ordinary appearance, brown hair cut short and big eyes.

"Your classmates told me I could find you here."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh..."

Without asking his permission, I sat down on the bench next to him.

Turning away from me, he continued to eat his lunch from the lunch box he was holding.

"I heard you had a cold... Are you feeling better?" I asked, not knowing where to start the conversation.

"A cold? No, I hurt myself playing soccer and went to the doctor yesterday. But I'm fine now."

"Ah... I see..."

While talking to him, I watched the students walking in front of the school.

"Are you the girl May was talking about?" he asked.

"Did she tell you about me?"

"Yes, she called and said you were coming to talk to me."

"So... you already know why I'm here?" I asked.

That made it easy, I thought.

"...To ask me what I know about the missing costume, right?"

"That's exactly right."

"Then... What exactly do you want to know?"

"So you don't mind if I get right to the point?"

"Not at all..."

"Great... Then let's start with the easy part. I've already asked the other members, but I'm interested in your opinion... Do you think the costume was stolen?"

It didn't take him long to answer.

"Yes, of course it was stolen. I don't think it was just lost," he replied without hesitation.

"Then... Do you have any idea who might have stolen it?"

He was silent for a moment, as if thinking about something, and just stared at the lunchbox with a slightly tense expression on his face.

"Well..." he paused and then asked, "Do you want me to be honest?"

"Of course..." I said.

"...It was definitely Jiro..."

"... And... Jiro, as I recall, is a former member of the drama club, right?" I decided to clarify.

"Yes, him."

Of all the club members, he was the first to accuse Jiro so directly, which surprised me a bit.

"Really?" I asked, turning to him. "Why do you suspect him? Any reason?"

His attention was still on the food.

"Well, how can I put it, I guess just because he was kind of an asshole? He joined the club, but all he did was argue with the members for no reason or flirt with the girls. He was especially annoying to Rina. Actually I wouldn't even say it was flirting, it was more of a dirty remark. Ken didn't like him either and they even got into a fight once."

"Wait... Ken and him got into a fight?"

Hmm, so this is what Ken meant yesterday about Jiro being a bad fighter. Now, it made sense.

"Yeah..." he replied. "But Ken and I are the only ones who know about it, so don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Don't worry about that, I promise everything we talk about will stay between us," I said. "But I was wondering if there was a specific reason why Ken got into a fight with Jiro?"

"I think it was because of Rina..."

"Rina? Are you sure? I thought she and Ken didn't have the best relationship."

"Yeah, you're right, they don't like each other. But that doesn't mean he can't protect her, right?"

"Yeah...you're right, I guess. Rina doesn't know about this?"

"Nope... He told me not to tell anyone... But it seems like I've already broken my promise."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this..." I decided to reassure him.

"I hope so..."

"I have a question, do you know why Jiro joined the club in the first place if he didn't want to?"

"I heard that someone forced him to do it, teachers or parents? I don't remember who, but honestly, it didn't matter to me."

"Did he leave the club on his own?"

"Nah... He was kicked out of the club after some embarrassing moments."

"So you think he might have stolen the costume because he wanted revenge?"

"Probably."

"And do you have any idea where he got the key? Miyu should be the only one who has it, right?"

"Well... I can't say for sure. At first, I thought he made a copy of the key when he was still a member, but as far as I know, no one ever trusted him with the key and I don't think he had a chance to steal it... But maybe he stole a spare key from a teacher or something?"

I could hear the doubt in his voice.

"So you're not sure it was Jiro?" I asked.

He paused.

"I mean, of course I can't be one hundred percent sure, but who else but him could have done it?"

"Did you talk to him about it?"

"You mean did I ask him directly if he stole the costume or not?"

"Yeah..."

"No, I didn't."

His voice sounded a little uncertain.

Didn't ask, huh? Why, I wonder? I mean, if he suspected someone, wouldn't it be logical to at least investigate his suspicions? Or was he afraid to confront him? Or maybe he just didn't want to accuse him without proof?

"But... you do want to find the costume, right?" I asked.

He lowered his gaze.

I couldn't tell if it was nervousness or indecision.

Sensing his hesitation, I decided to push him a little, "Look... I just want to know the truth so I can find the culprit, okay? Help me, okay? You're a member of the drama club yourself, it's in your best interest that the costume is found..."

"In my best interest, huh?" he mumbled a little thoughtfully.

"Yeah... isn't it?" I asked.

He fell silent again.

This has something to do with Miyu, doesn't it? I thought to myself. Mai had mentioned it...

"Or are you saying it's not in your best interest?" I added.

"If you're asking it that way, does that mean you suspect me?"

He grinned slightly.

I remembered Mai's words and of course I was a little suspicious of him, but I also tried to remain objective, at least I thought I was... Still, I wanted to hear the answer from him directly.

I decided to be honest with him: "Not that I suspect you... but you might have a motive. So I want you to be honest with me..."

"I mean, if you're asking that, you already think I'm hiding something, don't you?"

His eyes fell on me, but his expression was calm.

"I don't think you're hiding anything... I just want to know for sure."

"Huh... I see..."

He turned his gaze back to his food.

"...Okay..." he added after a pause. "I'll tell you why I'm in no hurry to find the costume... It's because of my jealousy."

"Jealousy?"

"Well... I like Miyu, but she's playing the princess with Ken... That's why I'm not in such a hurry to find the costume..."

Yeah… Mai said that he was in love with Miyu.

Of course, that was a good motive for stealing the costume, but the way he said it so calmly made me trust him for some reason.

As if confirming my thoughts, Akito said, "Before you get any ideas, I'll tell you right away that I wasn't the one who stole the costume..."

"I didn't suspect you that much... Don't worry," I said. "But are you sure you don't want to get in their way?"

"She likes Ken, there's nothing I can do about it..."

"I guess you haven't told her you like her?"

"No. And I'm pretty sure she has no idea how I feel."

"I see..."

"...Um, so any advice? You're a girl too... What should I do?" he asked suddenly, surprising me a bit.

Is he really asking me for romantic advice? Me? I've never been interested in guys, I don't even know what to say.

I put my finger to my lips and raised my head for a moment, thinking.

This was getting a little awkward.

What should I say?

"I'm not exactly an expert on romance..." I started. "But I can tell you this... I don't know how much this will help you, but if you want to ease your heart a little, I think you should confess to her, even if she rejects you, then at least you can let her go."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah... Why, it's easier than keeping your feelings inside, right? Or is there something stopping you? Are you afraid?"

"I don't want things to get awkward between us... We hang out a lot and often walk home from school together. I don't want to ruin this relationship and lose our friendship..."

"But then your feelings will eat you up inside. If those two start dating, you might do or say something stupid because of those feelings if you can't control yourself... I would suggest that you confess your feelings... No one said she won't continue to be your friend.... Anyway, that's just my opinion..."

"Hmm... you're probably right."

"Anyway," I said, getting up from the bench. "I have to go now. Thanks for the information..."

I was really awkward when it came to talking about romance.

"Bye," I added.

He looked at me a little surprised.

"Bye..." he replied.

As I was leaving, I didn't notice Akito's heavy gaze on me and his quiet words, "Do something stupid, huh?..."

I didn't have enough time to find that former drama club member Jiro and talk to him, so I decided to do it after class.

Instead, I called Mai.