He tried to save the fallen girls, but they came after him instead.

Shirakawa became suspicious the moment he saw Yayoi's unintentional movement, but overlooked Yayoi's motive for drugging him.

Shirakawa was completely baffled.

Sakura was singing; she wanted to show off her singing voice to Shirakawa-san.

Even amidst the noisy singing, the hot girl A in our group let out a lazy yawn.

"I'm so sleepy. I'm exhausted from shopping all day. My mind is a bit foggy."

"Hey, me too, ha~ yawn~"

Several hot girls were yawning and stretching, looking lazy.

Shirakawa suddenly realized, "So that's how it is!"

The drug that Akiyama Yayoi released was most likely a sleeping drug. What he wanted to do was to put everyone to sleep, so that he, the only one who could move, could freely ravage Sakura.

That's why he ordered grape juice; he wanted to label his juice order.

He doesn't need to distinguish between Shirakawa's apple juice and Sakura's apple juice when using the medication; they're both migraines, so he just opens the package and puts it in.

Based on the game's storyline and the performance of everyone present, Shirakawa is now 9% certain that Yayoi put drugs in the drink.

Shirakawa's fictional reasoning has no flaws, but fiction is still fiction.

This matter is not yet settled.

In detective stories like Conan's, the fact that someone has died is usually the starting point before deducing the culprit.

Shirakawa's reasoning is merely probing a possibility; to put it bluntly, it's no different from paranoia.

It's impossible to summon Miike Naoko based on such an unconfirmed possibility.

If he hadn't drugged her, not only would Shirakawa have made a false police report, but his image in Miike Naeko's eyes would also plummet. (Actually, he didn't have a good image to begin with.) Getting her to help him again would be even more difficult.

After much back and forth, the only thing that can prove Shirakawa's reasoning is that his drink was drugged.

Shirakawa looked at the yellow apple juice in his hand.

Want some?

If I feel even slightly unwell after drinking it, I call over Michi Miko.

No, that won't do. Knowing there's a tiger in the mountain, why would she go there anyway? What if she really falls for it...?

Shirakawa dared not gamble.

The private room was rather dimly lit, illuminated only by colorful beam lights that changed brightness according to the rhythm of the song and the music video on the screen.

Sakura was still singing energetically; it looked like she was going to drink her apple juice after finishing this song.

I need to find a way to avoid drinking apple juice myself, and also to subtly prevent Mitsu Sakura from drinking it, while simultaneously drawing out Yayoi's ugly side.

Hmm~ Killing three birds with one stone, huh?

a bit difficult.

As Sakura's song reached its middle lyrical accompaniment, the beam of light gradually dimmed in rhythm.

"How was it, Shirakawa-nii?" Sakura asked sweetly, holding the microphone.

"It sounds really good." Actually, Shirakawa had been thinking the whole time and hadn't been listening much.

The lights suddenly went out and then suddenly came back on as the accompaniment played in the middle of the song. The lights were quite sensitive and good at creating atmosphere.

Hmm~ Can this light go out completely?

Shirakawa had a sudden inspiration; a plan came to mind that didn't necessarily require proving there was medicine in the apple juice.

"Hey, Sakura-sama, do you have any songs from concert music videos, like those where the whole place is dark at first, and then when the music starts, all the fans suddenly light up their glow sticks, creating a super exciting atmosphere, or like when a spotlight suddenly shines on the singer?"

"Hmm~ Let me think... I think I might have, what's wrong?"

Who remembers the music video when they sing?

However, Sakura is quite popular and often goes to karaoke to sing, so she can vaguely remember one or two of those songs.

"I'd like to sing a song with Sakura-sama. I'm a bit tone-deaf, and without someone to guide me, I'm afraid I won't sing well..."

"Hmph, then I'll mercifully help Shirakawa-nii out." Sakura laughed, hands on her hips, revealing her little tiger teeth.

The instrumental track in the middle of this song is quite long. After chatting, Sakura even took the time to search for the song that Shirakawa wanted to post.

Then he continued with the second half of his own song.

The few hot girls looked listless and dispirited, as if they were about to leave at any moment.

Yayoi just squinted at the screen, occasionally glancing at Shirakawa, seemingly lost in thought.

"Brother Shirakawa, here you go." Sakura handed another microphone to Shirakawa.

"Okay." Shirakawa took it, cleared his throat twice, sat up straight, and said in a formal tone, "I'm going to start singing."

?

The three sleepy hot girls frowned slightly.

Is this some kind of awkward situation? You even have to give a report on your singing.

Shirakawa doesn't seem like the type of person who's very sociable.

Sakura-chan has such poor taste, how could she choose a man like that?

As the song began its intro, the beam lights gradually dimmed until the entire room became dark.

Shirakawa picked up his apple juice and pretended to drink it.

His front teeth blocked the yellow juice, which all dripped down the corners of Shirakawa's mouth and onto the ground.

Suddenly, Shirakawa took a big gulp, then put the cup down and sprayed the juice onto the ground.

He put on an extremely angry expression.

"Is anyone here? Waiter? Come quick!"

"Hey, coming right away!" The waiter who had just brought the juice walked in with his head down. Seeing the juice spilled all over the floor, he quickly asked, "Sir, what happened?"

"Why does your juice taste so sour? I even took two sips!" Shirakawa said, holding up his half-empty glass of juice. "Try it, isn't it spoiled?"

The waiter glanced at Yayoi, then quickly bowed 90 degrees and apologized, "I'm sorry, sir, I'm so sorry, I'll get you a new drink right away."

Shirakawa also noticed the subtle exchange of glances.

This waiter is probably not a good person.

"And this cup, replace it too!" Shirakawa picked up Sakura's cup. "Was it made with a rotten apple? Replace it right now." Shirakawa scolded angrily.

It was all an act by Shirakawa. After the lights were turned off, he pretended to drink a beverage to confuse Akiyama Yayoi, and then pretended to be angry and returned Sakura's drink. This waiter was probably in cahoots with Yayoi, so Shirakawa didn't feel guilty about making things difficult for him.

"I'm sorry, sir, I'll change it right away, I'll change it right away." The waiter bowed repeatedly and apologized, almost kneeling on the ground. As he left, he glanced at Yayoi as if he were scolding her.

Yayoi frowned slightly, looking at the apple juice on the ground. He was unsure whether Shirakawa had drunk it or not.

Did he discover that he had secretly drugged these drinks?

No, no, Shirakawa shouldn't be that smart. His plan was flawless, and he's always maintained a sunny, boyish persona. There's no way this guy could have figured it out.

He just said that he drank two sips, and those two sips should be enough to take effect.

Yayoi's actions were exactly as Shirakawa had deduced, almost without any discrepancy. Regarding the drugging, Yayoi did indeed administer a drowsy drug, but she also had some small red pills she had bought from her senior in her pocket.

I heard that if you give a girl a voice-changing doll that changes her voice instantly, she will have no memory of it afterwards. It's also easily soluble in water, colorless and tasteless, and is considered a top-quality product.

Yayoi's original intention was to drug Shirakawa and the three hot girls, and give Sakura a red pill, so that only Sakura would be in the state, and he could successfully seduce her.

But Shirakawa and Sakura both ordered apple juice, and Yayoi couldn't tell who was who. If they drank the wrong one, Shirakawa would have taken the pill, and Sakura would have drunk the drug...

It makes me sick just thinking about it.

So they decided to administer aphrodisiacs to everyone first. Although drugging an unresponsive body is not as pleasurable as using aphrodisiacs, it was a last resort and better than nothing.

The three hot girls were also whispering among themselves.

"What kind of boyfriend does Sakura-chan have? He's so rude."

"Exactly, exactly. They even spat juice all over the floor. How dirty!"

"Why are you bullying the waiter? Can't you just talk to him nicely?"

"This is so boring. I'm so sleepy I keep yawning. I should have known better than to let them come."

Sakura was also startled by Shirakawa's outburst. Shirakawa rarely got angry or anxious; he was usually very gentle, easygoing, and had a tolerant personality like water. Why was he suddenly so angry this time?

Before I could even think about it, the song on the screen had already started playing, not waiting for anyone.

Sakura quickly joined in the song, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Shirakawa pretended to sing, but secretly whispered in Sakura's ear, "Don't drink any beverages offered to you later, it's dangerous."

Danger? Sakura wondered.

She knew all three hot girls in the private room well, and Qiushan wasn't a bad guy, so how could it be dangerous?

Sakura couldn't understand, but Shirakawa gently poked her leg, gave her a wink, and had a very serious expression.

...