Solving Cases is My Daily Life Now: Volume 1

Chapter 1

 Rina Akamine's second year of high school had been considerably more dull than she imagined it would be. Since the opening ceremony, every day seemed to be the same routine of going to school, going home, an endless cycle, almost like a time loop. It wasn't that she was expecting anything spectacular or life changing, simply something that broke the simulation of normality would do.

It was a day like every other, school had been in for around two months. Rina walked to school, school bag held with both hands in front of her, the slight waves of her shoulder length blue-black hair bobbing slightly as she meandered, not overly eager to reach her destination. Her blue eyes remained facing downwards, she knew that nobody would be looking at her anyway, so why bother looking at them? It was only when she felt a rough slap to the shoulder that she was thrown from her own melancholic thoughts back into the real world. A small sound of confusion left her mouth as she looked up at the perpetrator, a face she knew very well. The respectably pretty face of Yua Sato smiled at Rina, her long brown hair tilting with her head as she closed her dark brown eyes and laughed lightly.

"Daydreaming as always, Rina?" Yua asked with the same carefree voice she always had.

Rina couldn't help but smile, her friend's enthusiasm always had a way of bringing her out of depressing thoughts. Rina had friendly acquaintances, sure, but Yua was the only person she would call a friend, her best friend.

"S-sorry, guess I'm still a little tired..." Rina replied, rubbing her shoulder slightly.

Yua sometimes had a way of being a bit more intense than she probably intended to be, but she never paid it much mind, so Rina didn't either, not willing to attempt to change her nature.

"You're always tired, I notice you dozing off in class all the time...Miss Miyake certainly notices too!" Yua laughed again with a cheeky grin, but Rina didn't seem to have much of a reaction, simply responding with "Yeah, yeah..."

In truth, what Yua saw as dozing off was really more of Rina's fantasizing and daydreaming, her way of escaping the world around her.

The rest of the walk inside the school was the same as always, the two girls made idle chatter as they reached their lockers, occasionally greeting classmates they recognized as they traveled the same path that had always been set before them.

As they entered their class, Rina's eyes scanned the room, it seemed that she and Yua were some of the later arriving students. Groups of friends scattered the room, each talking and going about their day the same way as always. However, one thing was slightly different. There wasn't normally a boy sitting on Rina's desk.

One of her classmates, socializing with the boy who sat behind her, had planted himself firmly on the table she used for writing. This irked Rina more than it likely would the average person, but she maintained her composure. She took a deep breath and stepped forward, ignoring Yua's confused "Eh?" As she simply walked away, and stopped at her desk, behind the desk sitter.

It was clear when she stopped that the boy had not noticed her, so she cleared her throat to make her presence known. But alas, the boy seemed none the wiser, and though a few students around her noticed the sound, none was willing to partake in what wasn't their business. Although it was likely just a case of him not hearing Rina, her eye twitched at the idea of being ignored, and she made herself known for sure with a much louder clearing of the throat.

She seemed to succeed this time, with the boy turning around to face her. He seemed confused at first, but upon viewing Rina's clearly agitated face and remembering where he was, he quickly got up.

"Gah, s-sorry Akamine, I didn't realize I was..." he stopped as he realized she wasn't really listening, Rina instead opting to sit down and rest her chin on her hand.