Volume 3—Chapter 51: Conspiracy

“Irana, why are you acting so anxious?” Viola asked, tilting her head slightly while sipping her milk tea. She sat across from me, perfectly relaxed as if nothing could possibly go wrong in the world.

I glanced up at her and gave a sheepish smile, realising just how obvious I must be acting. My foot was tapping under the table, my fingers fidgeting with the hem of my sleeve, and I kept glancing down at my smartwatch every thirty seconds like it held all the answers to the universe.

“I… can’t help it,” I muttered. “Onee-chan should’ve been here by now. She said she’d arrive shortly after the stream, and that ended a while ago…”

Viola raised a brow. “It’s only been a few minutes, hasn’t it? You’re acting like she’s hours late.”

I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I flicked my wrist and checked my smartwatch again, half-expecting a message from Elizabeth-sensei to pop up, maybe saying something like: Aria had to head home for an emergency. But there was nothing. Not even a single new notification.

Kotori, who had been sitting beside me, stirred her iced chocolate lazily with her straw and finally spoke up. “Well, what could possibly be happening? It’s just a few minutes late, Irana. She’s probably just stuck at the station or got distracted by a snack stand or something.”

I let out a small sigh, trying to laugh it off. “Yeah… maybe.”

I looked back at the mall entrance through the cafe window, hoping the next person walking in would be her.

And sure enough… it was Onee-chan!

I practically jumped out of my seat. Relief washed over me so fast it felt like I could breathe again.

“You worry for nothing, siscon,” Viola said, casually taking another sip of her milk tea with a teasing smirk on her face.

“Shut up…” I muttered, and without thinking, I kicked her leg gently under the table.

“Hey!” she protested, rubbing her shin. “That actually kind of hurt!”

But I barely paid attention to her whining. Before I even noticed, Onee-chan had already made her way over and plopped herself down beside Viola, as if she’d been there the whole time.

“Sorry, guys,” she said, brushing a bit of her hair back. “There was a bit of a… skirmish on my way here.”

“No worries, Onee-chan,” I replied, trying not to sound too concerned in front of the others.

“Well,” Aria continued, glancing around at us with a smile, “what are we doing now? Just hanging out here? Maybe we should go window shopping?”

Kotori leaned back in her seat and let out a soft sigh. “Let’s hang out for a bit. I’m exhausted from walking around.”

Viola nodded in agreement. “Same. My feet are killing me. I vote we chill here a while.”

“Well, okay then,” Aria said, standing up and stretching her arms. “I’m gonna go order a drink… maybe grab a snack too.”

With that, she turned and walked toward the counter, leaving the rest of us at the table watching her go.

“What kind of skirmish was it? Any news from Elizabeth-sensei?” Viola whispered to me, her voice barely audible over the low hum of the café.

I shook my head subtly. “Nothing. I even started to suspect that Elizabeth-sensei might’ve abandoned her mission... but there’s no way, right?” I whispered back, glancing briefly at Onee-chan to make sure she wasn’t listening.

Viola pursed her lips in concern. “Hmm…”

“What are you two whispering about?” Kotori suddenly asked, leaning forward with an inquisitive gaze.

Ah—crap. I should’ve been more careful.

“Nothing! Just… talking about…” I trailed off, desperately scanning my mind for a distraction topic. Anything!

“…About some conspiracy theory,” Viola chimed in smoothly, acting like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Conspiracy theory? Really? I internally sighed. But fine—whatever worked.

“Yeah… hahaha… conspiracy,” I said, giving a forced chuckle and trying to play along.

“What conspiracy?” Kotori asked, now fully intrigued.

“You know… the news going around lately. About people disappearing?” Viola replied, stirring her straw in her drink.

“Ah, so that’s what you meant. Well then, let me chime in too. One of my roommates actually disappeared not long ago without any word. I’ve been kind of worried.” Kotori’s voice softened a little, her casual tone giving way to something more concerned.

“Your roommate?” I asked, leaning in.

“Yeah… the red-haired girl. Ariana.”

Viola and I immediately exchanged a quick glance at the mention of that name.

Then—

“What are you guys talking about?”

The sudden voice behind me made me flinch. I turned to find Onee-chan standing there, holding a tray with her drink.

“Geez, Onee-chan, don’t sneak up on people like that!” I said, clutching my chest.

“Ahahaha, sorry, sorry,” she said, setting her tray down and taking a seat. “It’s just, you all had such serious looks on your faces. What were you talking about that got so heavy?”

“We were talking about my roommate who’s gone missing,” Kotori explained. “We thought it might be related to the whole recent disappearance case.”

“Your roommate? Which one?” Onee-chan asked, casually sipping her drink.

“The red-haired girl. Ariana.”

“Oh, her…” Onee-chan blinked, thinking for a second. “She disappeared? I didn’t notice.”

“Well, she is an upperclassman,” Viola added. “Easy to miss unless you live with her.”

Ariana, huh…

I was fairly certain her disappearance had nothing to do with some random criminal case. If anything, it was because she was now a fugitive from the Esper Association. If she dared show up at school, she’d be arrested on the spot. There’s no way Kotori would know about any of that… but Onee-chan?

Onee-chan was there. I still remember that moment clearly. The atmosphere she carried then, and the one she has now—it’s like night and day. But even if her presence had changed, I couldn’t possibly mistake her.

“Irana?” Her voice pulled me back to the present.

I looked up. She was watching me closely. “Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?”

“Ah… nothing,” I replied quickly, offering her a small smile. “Just… contemplating about something.”

Contemplating whether I should pretend nothing ever happened… or start asking the questions I wasn’t ready to hear the answers to.

“You know…” Onee-chan suddenly said, leaning forward with an excited glint in her eyes, “I know what we should do today!”

Her voice had that spark—the kind she used when she got one of her wild ideas. I tilted my head, curious. “What is it?”

“Let’s investigate the disappearing case!” she declared, full of confidence, like she'd just suggested going to a theme park instead of chasing a possible criminal conspiracy.

I blinked.

Viola paused, her drink halfway to her lips.

Kotori looked up from her phone with a confused expression.

The three of us just… stared at each other for a moment, unsure if she was serious, or if we had all misheard her.

“…Wait, seriously?” Viola asked, squinting at her like she was trying to read between the lines.

“Like, us? Investigate?” Kotori added, pointing to herself.

“Yes! Us!” Aria said cheerfully, completely unbothered by our stunned reactions. “Think about it—something weird is going on, right? Kotori’s roommate vanishes, even our classmate, Syena have gone missiong too. What if it were someone close to us next?”

“Well, yeah,” I admitted, “but that doesn’t mean we should just… start poking around. What are we even supposed to do? We might really become the next victim.”

“We’re not totally clueless, Irana,” Aria said with a wink. “We know names, locations, and some timelines. Besides, I have a hunch… and I trust my instincts.”

Viola groaned and leaned back in her chair. “I don’t know about that”

Kotori looked a little hesitant but thoughtful. “Still, if it could help Ariana… maybe it’s worth looking into. Even if it’s just asking around.”

I stared at Onee-chan, a little sceptical, a little nervous… but also oddly relieved.

That determined, fearless expression of hers—I hadn’t seen it in a while. And somehow, despite how ridiculous it sounded, it made me feel like we’d be okay.

“…Fine,” I sighed. “But we do this smart. If we’re really doing this, we need a plan.”

“Woo!” Aria pumped her fist. “Operation Missing Persons begins now!”

Viola buried her face in her hands. “I already regret this.”

“Too late!” Aria grinned. “Let’s finish our drinks and head out.”

And just like that, the quiet café afternoon took a sharp left turn into mystery hunting.

“By the way… is that really you? The Vtuber who dances really well?” Kotori asked, a sly smile creeping onto her face.

Aria froze mid-sip, then let out a quiet sigh.

“Let’s not talk about that,” she muttered, looking away.