On a Snowy Night, The Stars Shine 2

[iridesenescence]

Chapter 2:
Writer: Yuumasu
Season: Winter
Location: Kitchen



Izumi: (... I thought I'd aim to finish lunch early so that no one would be around, but after talking to Kuma-kun, it's gotten so late.)
(Well, I guess that's alright. I don't have anything on today, and the casual chit-chat helped me relieve some stress.)
(It's been pretty tense lately, which has been tiring me out, so... It was a nice change of pace.)
(Besides, there's some plus points to having lunch so late. It's past the peak lunch hour, so the kitchen is empty and there's plenty of seats.)
(I guess I could take some time to cook something today? There's some ingredients I got Gardenia to share—)
(... Or not. There's no vegetables or fruits or anything in here. Did someone use 'em all?)
(Just when I thought I'd cook something. Sooo~ annoying!)
(Ugh, fine... It's too much of a pain to head out and buy something, so I guess I'm stuck with pre-made food.)
(Special winter rich chicken soup? ... Hm, looks like it's got plenty of winter vegetables.)
(It's got decent nutritional value, and the calorie count isn't as high as I thought it was. Alright, I'll have this.)

[Scene change: Common Room]

Izumi: (...? Over there, is that...?)

Tatsumi: ......

Madara: ......

Izumi: (Kazehaya and Mikejima, huh? What a strange duo. Wonder what they're talking about?)
(Well, it's nothing to do with me. I gotta eat before my food goes cold.)
(... Hey, this is pretty good stuff. The vegetable pieces are a little small, but I think I like the taste of it.)
(Carrots, burdock, onions and radish... I can bring my own dashi, and aside from burdock and radish, I can get the ingredients pretty easily even over in Florence.)
(I could try making this whenever I miss Japanese food.)

Madara: — No, isn't it a code of sorts?

Izumi: (... What? A code?)

Madara: It might seem random at a glance, but if you look a liiittle closer, don't you think there might be some logic to it?

Tatsumi: Oh, you have a point... The sequence of characters is the same at these two places.
But it's only a tiny part of the entire thing, so could it not be a coincidence?

Izumi: (Whaaa? What're they discussing as they stare at that Christmas-y poster?)

Tatsumi: — Perhaps this is divine guidance. It is, after all, a holy image.

Madara: Holy? It looks pretty avant-garde to me.

Izumi: (Divine guidance? Avant-garde...? Ahh, damn it. I'm so curious that I've lost all interest in my food...!)

Tatsumi: There was no initial connection between the birth of Christ and Santa Claus, but they have both come to be associated with Christmas.
Thus, this poster depicting Santa Claus can be said to be holy.

Madara: You'd say that even about a picture of Santa Claus and a red-nosed reindeer throwing presents from the top of a tree? Your mind works in curious ways, Tatsumi-san.

Izumi: ... What have you two been talking about?

Tatsumi: Oh, Izumi-san. We were simply giving our thoughts on this poster.

Madara: We're not sure when it popped up on this wall. It looks like it's just meant to add some Christmas spirit, since it's the season for that and all, but...
Don't you think there's something strange about it?

Izumi: By strange, you mean... The letters and numbers that are scattered all over?

Madara: Oh, spot on! Sharp as always, Izumi-san ♪

Izumi: Could you not praise me for the littlest things? I feel like I'm being made fun of.
It's true, it does look like a code. Not every letter of the alphabet was used, so the positioning looks purposeful.
(... But that's about all I can get from this — I can't figure out anything else. Someone who's good at stuff like this would be...)
(Yuu-kun, right? Normally, I'd jump at the chance to drop him a message...)
(But at this time of the year, I know he's busy, so I'd rather not.)

Tatsumi: ... E, N... W... WS...

Izumi: Hey, what's gotten into you? You sound like a dying robot, it's kind of freaky.

Tatsumi: Ah, my apologies. But I believe I've figured out what this says.
If you look closely at the letters in this poster, there are those that are coupled with numbers, and those that aren't, correct?
When you eliminate the latter, you are left only with the letters "N", "E", "S", and "W" — letters that indicate directions.
And beside them are mostly numbers with 2 or 3 digits. If we assume that as the number of steps to take...

Madara: Then at the end of the code, the treasure that Santa Claus has hidden lies in wait... ☆

Izumi: Isn't that totally out of character for Santa Claus? Hiding treasure is what pirates do.

Madara: Snap a photo of the poster, and... Alrighty, we're going treasure hunting, you two ♪

Izumi: Wait, me too?

Madara: Of course! You're coming with us too, right, Tatsumi-san?

Tatsumi: Yes, I'm curious to know the intention behind the creation of this poster.

Madara: Good, good. Let's get cracking on this case... ☆

Izumi: Hold on, I didn't say I would go along with you guys?

[Scene change: Courtyard]
[An hour later]

Izumi: — We've walked through every inch of Starmony Halls, from the first floor all the way to the third...
And you're telling me our ultimate destination was the courtyard? That was a royal waste of energy, this is the worst!

Tatsumi: It appears this tree is our endpoint, but... I don't see anything unusual here.

Madara: I wouldn't rule out the possibility of the treasure being buried underground, but there's no sign of the soil being dug up either.
Perhaps that was someone's idea of a prank? Well, to whoever you are, thank you for that. It was great fun — I feel as if I've become a child again.

Izumi: Excuse me? What're you thanking them for? Anyone who gets a kick out of making us run all over the place is an a~bsolutely awful person.
... Huh? Hey, did you hear that?

Tatsumi: Hm? Hear what, exactly...?

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