Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru - Volume 5 - Chapter Pr

Prologue 

It was a certain day, a usual scene of our daily lives. 

"—Nacchan! I got these here, which one do you want?" 

The afternoon sunshine entered the wardroom through the window. 

The peach-haired girl who called me by the nickname ‘Nacchan’ got onto the bed and laid out picture books on it. It seemed she wanted me to choose one to read. 

"Erm, Acchan? I'm also 12, you know. You don't have to read this to me…" 

But she's taking care of me, who's so weak that I couldn't go out, and while I was grateful for this notion… 

"Then, this one!" 

Yep, she's not listening to me at all, as always. 

Acchan put down the diary she had always scribbled in, opened a picture book, and started reciting it excitedly. 

It's a cute voice full of vigor. 

I felt completely healed just from her voice, but after all, it's too childish to have someone read a book to me. 

And so I smiled at Acchan while looking at the other girl in the wardroom. 

"What are you reading, Siesta?" 

A white-haired girl was reading in a corner of the room. 

She had a weird codename called Siesta and had a strange vibe to her. She's no different in age to Acchan and me, but it felt as though she's a mature adult. 

I didn't know if it's a matter of perception, but it should be fine for her to act like a carefree kid… I, still a kid back then, thought so. 

"It's the story of a certain unfortunate and yet fortunate prince." 

Siesta then introduced the story without mentioning the title. 

A certain unfortunate and yet fortunate prince…what's that supposed to mean? 

"What kind of story is it?" 

I didn't know when Acchan stopped reading the picture book and joined our conversation. She's always interested in everything, but she's twice as likely to lose interest in something. On the plus side, maybe I should pick up this sense of freedom from her. 

"The story's about how a certain kind prince monument shared treasures to the poor in the city." 

Siesta slowly closed the book and silently closed her eyes. 

"A good man!" 

And then, Acchan sat next to me, her legs swaying about. 

So the story's about a rich and kind prince who saved the people of a city?? 

…No, if that's the case, Siesta shouldn't be calling him ‘unfortunate’. 

"But then." 

Siesta opened her eyes. 

She continued with a distraught look. 

"That so-called treasure's merely the prince's own monument." 

"…What do you mean? He doesn't have money or other valuables?" 

"Hm, this kind prince monument had a sword ornamented with rubies, sapphire eyes, gold leaves all over his body. The monument offered everything to the people of the city, leaving behind only a heart made of lead and a worn-down body." 

Siesta said as she gently raised her hand over her left chest. 

"That's so sad!" 

Even though it's just a story, Acchan complained for the sake of this monument. 

The prince monument wanted to save others even though he had to sacrifice himself. While it's worthy of respect, it felt somewhat sad. 

"But this story doesn't end here." 

Siesta's voice prompted us back, and I couldn't help but lean close to her face. 

"This prince monument had a very important being who could understand him." 

""Understand him?"" 

Acchan and I asked in unison. 

And then Siesta spoke of ‘the reason behind the title of this book’—the one swallow who accompanied him until the very end. 

It's the story of a little black bird who, despite nobody understanding it, remained by the side of its loved one until the very end.