Day of a Star
The case of the serial panty theft closed... The genius investigator Gwen does it again.
Wherever I went...
Gwen Lestrade, the genius investigator of Lampadis, has apprehended the serial panty thief using her brilliant reasoning.
It's in the headlines!
Just a few days after the panty thief who had terrorized NOA was apprehended, newspapers highlighting Gwen's exploits were everywhere.
When asked about the case, Gwen declared, "No clue is ever trivial," and that "A single clue reveals the whole truth"...
The renowned genius investigator proved herself yet again.
Of course, some parts of the interview did seem slightly exaggerated.
Heh heh heh... Here you go! Remember, Lampadis is here for you!
Yay! Go, Gwen, go! Hooray for Lampadis!
Gwen smiled as she handed her autograph to a passerby who'd noticed her.
People asking Gwen for a handshake or an autograph wasn't new, but after the recent panty thief incident, it seemed that even more people recognized her.
Obviously. Do you think it's easy to reveal a truth nobody knew?
Fair point. We spent three days awake before we finally hauled in the thief.
Now that I think about it, we could have lost the culprit right under our noses if it hadn't been for Gwen's persistent focus during the stakeout.
As my thoughts reached that point, the Gwen I saw before me felt quite different from the impulsive and sloppy Gwen I'd known until now.
Haha, of course. My genius skills...
Wait, what? Did you just say my reasoning skills came from persistence?
When I nodded at Gwen, who was about to brag like usual, her face took on an odd expression.
My, my... You really don't know why people go crazy over me, do you?
Then... what is it?
Why, it's because my reasoning skills are simply amazing!
Think, Captain. What form of reasoning excites people the most?
Hmm...
At my words, Gwen took on a grave expression and looked up at the sky...
Rubbing her smooth chin as if she were in deep thought.
Seductive reasoning... maybe.
However!
!!!
Gwen stood up heroically, stretching out her arm and pointing at me.
They're all wrong!
Those forms of reasoning are boring. What really excites people the most is...
...
Simply put, it's genius-level reasoning that brings truth to light. Just like me right now!
She probably failed at simplifying that, but I decided not to call her out on it.
The reason why I became so famous is my genius-level reasoning.
Even if people were going wild over her genius-level reasoning, when I looked back at the past events...
She was loitering around here yesterday too.
Using such reasoning in an investigation wasn't appropriate for Gwen.
As if she were looking for the pair of panties she failed to steal from the second-floor flower shop owner's home.
She would be better off taking advantage of her sheer grit like she did during the stakeout.
Now, let's uncover the truth together.
She even seemed to enjoy doing so.
No, you're wrong! I didn't enjoy any of that!
But you were...
When she had raised her whip before striking my butt, her hand...
It had been trembling.
I... M-my hand was shaking because I was overjoyed that I was about to discover a truth!
I swear I wasn't excited by the thought of beating you into submission!
Oh.
No more words were needed for me to understand how Gwen had felt at the time.
I covered my ears, letting her know I didn't need to hear any more of it.
I'm not lying! I swear!
As Gwen clung to my arm, begging me to believe her...
Um, excuse me? Miss Gwen Lestrade?
My, my. Are you another beloved fan who came looking for me after hearing of my reputation?
Yes, I am the Gwen Lestrade everyone's been talking about. I can give you as many autographs as you'd like.
S-sorry, it's nothing like that...
...
Pardon me. I'm Amy, a reporter from the Bellaskiver Times.
You've been selected as the Rookie of the Month to be featured in our exclusive coverage. I'm here to conduct an interview.
If you have the time, would you be willing to cooperate with the interview?
The Rookie of the Month...
Ahahaha, why, of course! Be my guest.
With a swaggering Gwen leading the way, we moved to a cafe and began talking.
When I need to organize my thoughts, I come here and drink a double shot of espresso.
I see. Come to think of it, the great Detective H also enjoyed double-shot espresso.
You two have something in common already. Maybe that's the secret to your genius-level reasoning.
Haha, maybe so.
*Sip*
Finishing her words, Gwen casually picked up her espresso cup and took a sip.
Ugh...
...With a miserable expression.
If it's too bitter, I can get some sugar cubes for you.
Oh, if they have some, then...
What do you mean? If you add sugar, doesn't that stray quite a bit from the standard detective's coffee?
...
I-I know, right? I wasn't planning to add something like that to my coffee.
I'm team original-double-shot-espresso all the way!
Hahaha... Ahahaha!
*Sip*
Blegh...
...
...Okay, I'm starting to understand your tastes, Miss Gwen.
With Gwen wearing a strange expression in front of her, the reporter wrote down what she just heard.
Hmm? Your handwriting is strange. It's like everything is written in a single stroke.
Oh, it's just a work habit. It's important for us reporters to write things down fast.
And... next question. When you are on a case, what is the most important thing to you?
Hmm... It's hard to say, because I always showcase my genius-level reasoning that brings truth to light...
But if I had to pick, I'll put it this way.
No clue is too small to leave unturned!
After all, the tiniest detail can be the thread connecting everything!
...I see. That's a bold statement.
It somehow reminds me of Detective H. Maybe that's been the driving force behind your genius-level reasoning.
I'd been noticing a pattern.
On a surface level, the interview was praising Gwen, but if you took it apart...
It was a comparison between Detective H and Gwen, with her being the former's successor.
Haha, this genius-level reasoning is practically my trademark, after all.
Anyway... Gwen Lestrade summed up her reasoning philosophy into two words...
Perhaps this is the secret behind the genius quality she possesses...
Haha, bravo, bravo! That will make an excellent article!
...Unfortunately, Gwen herself was too blinded by the praise to notice the true intent behind the reporter's words.
Oh, look at the time. How about we take a small break then continue?
After asking, the reporter stood up from her seat and headed for the restroom.
Gwen was fidgeting with the espresso cup, which she had only pretended to drink from.
You know, there's something about this interview that's been bothering me.
I think that reporter's comparing you with H.
Huh? What do you mean by that?
As Gwen stared at me as if she had no clue what I was talking about, I recounted how the reporter had muttered, "I guess this is what it would've felt like if Detective H had done it," while Gwen had been striking a pose for the interview picture...
...All the way to how she quietly nodded along while listening to Gwen's exploits, muttering about how Gwen was "a genius worthy of succeeding Detective H" to herself as she did.
...
After hearing my words, Gwen stared blankly into space, continuing to fidget with the espresso cup as if she were lost in thought.
And when she saw the reporter coming back, she stood up from her seat and walked over.
The two briefly exchanged a few words, then came back to their seats.
After the short conversation, Gwen marched toward me, then grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet.
Let's go, Captain. The interview ends here.
Excuse me, I am so sorry. It just so happens that I'm a big fan of Detective H, and that probably influenced the questions I came up with.
Like I said, I don't want to do an interview with the questions you brought now. Will you bring new ones, please?
Yes... of course.
Giving a cursory nod, we brushed past the flustered reporter and stepped out of the cafe.
A cold wind was blowing past Gwen's face as she continued to stride onward, with my hand in hers even after leaving the cafe.
That really upset you, didn't it?
I hate being compared to Detective H.
After walking for a long time with her eyes fixed straight ahead, Gwen finally stopped and turned to face me.
It was in the early days of Lampadis Investigations.
When Lampadis opened for business, we didn't get much work.
It was a new establishment, and we couldn't really promote ourselves very much. So it was only natural... but still.
Then one day, we started receiving letters in scarlet envelopes.
The scarlet letters had no sender, and they contained investigation techniques as well as answers to cases that even the Town Guard couldn't solve.
All we had to do was follow their leads, and the cases solved themselves. As we cracked case after case, I became famous.
But because the way I solved them mirrored Detective H, I found myself drawing comparisons everywhere I went.
All because... I got some help from those scarlet letters.
So I posted a newspaper article challenging Detective H to a contest to see who could solve cases faster.
But just when victory was within arm's reach...
I got caught in a rope the culprit had set up as a trap, and I couldn't move an inch.
But then...
*Rustle*
You're...!
I could tell who it was even from behind.
It was definitely Detective H.
I pleaded with Detective H to forget about the contest and capture the culprit instead, but...
...The great detective just ran away.
...
I ended up getting help from a passerby to free myself from the rope, but the culprit was already long gone by then.
After that, the scarlet letters stopped arriving and Detective H vanished without a trace, so the contest fizzled out...
But we could have caught the culprit for sure if H had bothered to be even a bit cooperative.
Gwen...
...That's why H is a runaway coward.
And nobody on earth likes a runaway coward.
Averting her gaze, Gwen put on a grave expression as if she had reached a conclusion.
The emptiness and resentment that she felt after letting a culprit slip right through her fingers, when all she needed was a little help, were naturally directed toward H.
Well, actually—
Uh... Miss Gwen?
Oh? Miss reporter?
The thing is... It didn't sit right with me to just walk away, so I came back to make a proper apology.
I know you have genius qualities of your own, but I let my eagerness get the better of me.
A-ahem! So that's what you were actually thinking, right?
Y-yes. So, please forget what just happened...
Weren't you just about to say something, Gwen?
Haha, then so be it!
I couldn't get to hear what Gwen was about to say, but at least she seemed to have regained her usual cocksure attitude...
Because you're talking to me, the genius investigator Gwen Lestrade, and I don't hold grudges!
Ahahaha!
...And I was glad to know she was starting to feel better.