First Encounter
All truth in this world is in the palm of the genius investigator Gwen Lestrade!
If you ever have an unsolved mystery to unravel, visit Lampadis Investigations ♪
Gwen Lestrade, huh...
I was wandering through the streets, looking down at the address printed on a poster covered in messy, childish decorations.
Lisa said the Journey member was buried under work, so I should go meet her at the location indicated on the poster.
I guess its design didn't turn people away from the place...
Panty thief!
P-panty thief?
Hearing a sudden voice coming from the end of the alley, I turned around...
*Silence*
But the alley was empty save for its eerie air, just like it was from the beginning.
Confirming that I wasn't being tailed, I turned around and went on my way.
They steal all sorts of things nowadays, in broad daylight at that, I idly thought to myself.
With the alleyway twisting and turning before me, I looked down at the poster's address when—
*Clang!*
?!
With a ringing of metal, I felt a jolt of pain shooting through the back of my head.
Before I could even register what was going on, my limp body began falling.
*Thud*
I opened my eyes and looked around in confusion, trying to get a grasp of what had just happened.
Phew, finally got him!
Time to go.
The last thing I saw before my heavy eyelids closed was...
A gleeful smile of a short-haired girl, who I assumed had hit my head from behind.
...To the interrogation room.
I wondered where she was taking me to...
Some time later, I slowly woke up to a throbbing pain emanating from the back of my head.
As I began reaching for it, I realized that I couldn't, as if I were put in restraints.
...Huh?
When I lowered my gaze to figure out what was happening, I found myself bound in red ropes that ran across my body in hexagonal shapes from neck to stomach.
And I was hanging down from the ceiling to boot.
Am I in... a warehouse?
You're finally awake.
A silhouette emerged from the shadows, revealing the short-haired girl I saw before blacking out.
You... You're...
*Sigh* So you know.
My, my... Even the daylight panty snatcher recognizes the genius investigator, Gwen Lestrade.
Has my reputation already spread that far and wide across NOA?
Just who are you?
My simple reaction to the last face I saw somehow turned into a misunderstanding.
As I frantically searched for words to clear myself of this mess, the girl revealed her name, which stuck to me.
You're Gwen Lestrade?
That's the name on the poster Lisa handed to me—
Heh heh heh... You were even carrying one of my posters? Such dedication.
But if you brought it to get my autograph, just forget it. I don't do autographs for a panty thief like you.
Gwen pointed at me with confidence.
H-h-hey wait, what do you mean?
I'm not a panty thief!
As I kicked around in frustration, Gwen lashed out with the whip in her hand.
*Wuh-pssh*
The flat leather head of the instrument made contact with the wall, producing a loud, sharp crack.
Ahh!
Hmph. They say those who break the law are nothing but cattle that refuse to confess their crimes.
*Tap* *Tap*
Gwen slowly approached me as she tapped the end of her whip on her open palm.
But one taste of my whip, and you'll have no choice but to spill the truth.
Like a good, good boy.
A g-good boy?!
Heh heh heh! I'll teach you how to behave!
*Wuh-pssh*
Ack!
A villain of the century, stealing every freshly dried pair of panties off the rack and leaving nothing to wear the next day!
*Wuh-pssh*
Kgh!
A degenerate drooling over not just panties, but undershorts of all designs, genders, and even ages!
A filthy pig that terrorizes the entirety of NOA!
*Wuh-pssh*
Augh!
...Hey, why do you keep making those funny noises?
I-I was just scared, that's all...
...Anyway! The panty thief who spread terror across the world...
That's you!
But why?!
Hmph, you're still playing dumb? Very well, I will use my signature genius-level reasoning that brings truth to light...
...To squeeze every last bit of truth out of you!
Proclaiming proudly, Gwen spun around and walked over to a cork board strewn with pictures and tangled strings.
A photo of me lost in the alleyway was pinned to the center of the board. Gwen pointed at it.
This alleyway speaks for itself! All the evidence points toward you!
You look like you're still not convinced. That's all right, because I'm going to go over each piece of evidence that shows you're the perpetrator.
First, clue number one!
Gwen pointed her whip at a photo of an old, graying woman connected to the photo of the alleyway by a piece of red string.
This lady lives across the alley. She hung flower-patterned panties on her terrace today before they got stolen.
And exactly two hours and forty-three minutes after the crime, you returned to this very spot.
Perpetrators have the tendency to revisit the scene after committing a crime.
Well? Still not buying it?
B-but it might just be a coincidence—
That's not all there is to it!
*Wuh-pssh*
Aiee!
This, this here is the second piece of evidence!
Gwen struck a nearby wall with her whip again, then pointed at another picture.
The second picture was a photograph of a clean pavement of the alleyway.
As you can see, the alleyway you were walking through was very tidy. But you kept looking down as if trying to find something.
Like somebody making sure he didn't accidentally drop the panties he stole.
Does that even count as evidence?
Of course it does. Your actions bear a striking resemblance to the behavior of those planning to commit a perfect crime.
That's just a stretch! This isn't fair—
I'm not done yet!
*Wuh-pssh*
Hngh!
And lastly, the decisive evidence.
Instead of pointing at the board, Gwen pointed at me.
The evidence is you!
Me?!
When you were walking in the alley, you heard me shout.
Shout...
Panty thief!
Come to think of it, the voice I heard from somewhere in the alley...
N-no... It can't be...
That's right. People instinctively react to a voice that calls them.
When I yelled, panty thief, what did you do?
You turned around.
Because you thought somebody was addressing you.
N-no! I was—
Heh heh... Look at you, refusing to confess even when all the clues point right at you. You sure have tight lips.
Seems someone could use a little discipline. Guess I'll have to step it up a notch.
*Wuh-pssh*
After striking the wall with her whip once again, Gwen slowly approached me.
I'll give your butt a good spanking.
...What?!
As Gwen approached with a terrifying smile on her face, my hair stood up on the back of my neck.
Concluding that I must free myself from the restraints in order to spare my bottom, I squeezed out every ounce of my strength to kick around.
Hold on, hold on!
Don't bother. Struggling will only make the ropes tighter.
I used an Escape-Proof Knot Technique.
Smiling smugly, Gwen used the tip of her whip to trace along the red ropes that were restraining me.
Now, let's uncover the truth together.
The whip that had been traveling along the ropes suddenly shot through the air, then quickly descended toward my rear.
Noooo!!
*Rip*
Whaaa?!
Using superhuman strength, I managed to tear myself free from the ropes and caught the whip bearing down on my bottom.
Just give me a minute to explain!
O-okay... Just let... go!
...Allow me to begin my explanation.
After seating Gwen on the other side, I stepped up to the cork board and used the whip I snatched out of her hand to point at the picture of the old woman used as evidence.
Since it was my first time visiting the alleyway, I was utterly unfamiliar with its layout and had no idea that local residents hung up their laundry to dry. On top of that...
...Floral patterns aren't really my style.
Kgh... Th-that doesn't match the universal profile of a panty thief who shows no preference...
But that's just your claim. Without proof, there's no credibility in it.
I was well aware that a simple statement wouldn't be enough to clear me of all suspicion.
As I pointed at the second picture, I showed Gwen the poster Lisa had given me.
Huh? This is...
It's the advertising flyer I handed out for promotion from a while ago.
That's... my office. But why?
If this is a roundabout way to claim you were coming to me with a case, then don't. It'll only make you look even more suspicious.
Gwen Lestrade.
...
Wait, what?! That's me!
Then... you must be...
After hearing my story, Gwen, who had still doubted me just a moment before, was finally convinced and let me off the hook.
She apologized over and over, saying that she was sorry for kidnapping and accusing an innocent party of panty thievery, especially since said party was the Journey Captain she'd have to work alongside for an entire year.
As a token of apology, I can offer you a discount coupon for investigation, or compensation money, or...
No, it's fine. Especially if it's something material.
Instead, how about this?
As a token of apology, I'll show you my famed investigative skills.
In truth, I was totally fine with that sort of thing too, but I felt like Gwen's apologies would never stop until I let her make it up to me.
Okay. Then, for starters, I'll deduce how you were able to overcome my Escape-Proof Knot Technique.
Mhm. This technique uses six-sided knots that perfectly disperse tensile stress.
The knots travel across the torso, and continue toward the wrists and ankles tied behind.
Even though the leverage points of the hands and feet are all converged into a single spot, this technique still works because...
Those leverage points converge on the person's butt, which they can't freely move.
But you were able to break that, which means...
As she continued sharing her logic step-by-step, she pointed her finger in a specific direction.
Specifically, my butt...
Captain... Were you concealing the truth inside your butt this whole time?
My grip on the whip tightened.
So you really were a filthy, perverted pig...
Umm... Captain? What are you doing with my whip—
As if!
W-w-w-wait Captain! STOOOP!