Chapter 159

"…Off-site information?"

There was still some time left before the next shoot began, and after hearing the director's request, the actors all fell into deep thought.

Only a few people from Chaldea could be considered as exceptions. This simple test almost put the answer directly in front of Sherlock Holmes. Although El-Melloi II was not a regular detective, he had a discerning eye and his observation ability was not bad. And Renis's team also had Fujimaru Ritsuka, who had been tempered by all the tortures of Chaldea.

"You can't judge which show it's from based on the material of the props, and then infer the corresponding character." During the break, an orange-haired male follow-up director explained to everyone, touching his chin and laughing, "The materials used to make props for each show are different - in order to increase the difficulty, some very representative props have been excluded."

"However, in order to ensure that everyone can use them, we chose the original props of each series as the theme, rather than making some identical props from scratch." Another male follow-up director with white hair and a middle parting added, "We also prepared a set of very representative props to facilitate you to confirm the material of the props of each series - after all, this cannot be used as an inference during filming."

"Do you want to go and see?" In the round table hall, Renis, who had not moved, looked at her team members who also chose not to leave, and turned her head to ask Fujimaru Ritsuka who was standing beside her as a disciple and assistant again, "Looking at you... you seem to know what we need to show here?"

"This is a show after all." Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the nine items in the center of the round table, staring at the remnant of a red cloak. "Everyone can easily know who each item corresponds to, but the important thing is the additional requirement of the director's team - we can't judge based on off-site information."

"Simply put, it is to play your own role; to put it bluntly, it is to reverse the reasoning process based on the answers and conditions."

"Ishigaki Hime and Hisayumubiko?" El-Melloi II, who was sitting opposite, suddenly spoke.

"That's about right." Fujimaru Ritsuka shrugged, picked up the writing board and answer sheet that the staff had just distributed to all the detectives, as well as the corresponding information for each role, "It's just giving the answer and the reasoning process... Haven't we done this before? Aren't you all quite skilled at it?"

"We are not the ones who are skilled here." Watson sighed helplessly, and spoke in a very firm tone to Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was nominally in charge of the broker and producer of the entire agency, "Besides, no matter what the actual test questions are, as long as Holmes says that there is an answer to this question, then there is definitely an answer...isn't it?"

"If Mr. Holmes doesn't get a perfect score, it's not just his problem." El-Melloi II calmly pointed out the point, "We still have to renovate the office."

"This is our first time participating in a project that brings together most of the firms." Sherlock looked at his own members, then at the participants who ran to watch another group of props, and took the opportunity to express his attitude, "No matter what kind of familiarity, it's not fun - besides, Lian doesn't have a job yet."

"I'm still in charge of the entire office." Fujimaru Ritsuka spread his hands and responded to Sherlock's proposal with Renis's tacit approval. "Besides, there will be producer meetings and contacts with other programs later... To be honest, I still have two unfinished projects."

In this brief and pleasant manner, the Chaldeans decided whether or not to slack off during the next shoot. When the other actors confirmed the details of the other set of props and returned to their original seats, they also entered a new stage of shooting.

Holmes, who was sitting in the middle, was still responsible for reading the questions. He held up a writing board and read aloud the questions printed on the answer sheet.

"A detective's job is to find the only truth among clues.

Therefore, please infer the ownership of items 1 to 9 based on the clues provided by the detectives on the personal belongings, close to the body, or important items.

The total time for answering the questions is half an hour. During the answering time, each detective has an unlimited number of opportunities to observe the objects.

Detectives, please write down your answers and reasoning process after the corresponding question numbers on the answer sheet.

Finally, detectives are prohibited from discussing with each other. Detectives who bring their own detective assistants can only discuss with their own detective assistants. 』

When Holmes put down the writing board in his hand, the test was officially declared to have begun - a piece of cloth disguised as a wall suddenly fell off the background, revealing an LCD screen showing the countdown for the test.

Ritsuka Fujimaru, who was closest to the LCD screen, turned around subconsciously the moment he heard the sound, and when he saw the countdown displayed on the LCD screen behind the curtain, he breathed a sigh of relief - before Ritsuka Fujimaru turned around, she heard Lenise calling her name.

"Ritsuka, what do you think about these things?"

Even though he had a hand in setting the questions - choosing the range of tools that Animusphia could provide - Fujimaru Ritsuka had to admit that the person who was ultimately responsible for setting the questions among the staff had a very tricky mind.

After all, some characters' characteristics are really obvious, but there are also some things that are difficult to connect with the corresponding characters even if you have watched the works - not to mention that Animusphia Agency is an agency that just appeared here, and there are still many works of their members that we haven't seen!

"Let's write the reasoning for number three and number one first." Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the items corresponding to the two numbers, suppressed his expression, and suggested to Lenise, "You can slowly push the others after you finish writing them."

One of the two items pointed out by Fujimaru Ritsuka was the fragment of the red cloak that she had focused on during the break, and the other was a small silver ball. Fortunately, "The Monarch's Case Files" and "The Lady's Case Files" were originally qualified as sister works under the same world view. Even though they were restricted from using off-site information, they still had enough advantages.

——After all, the protagonists of these two works are brother and sister.

In this case, it would be reasonable to use some minor plot points that appear in the plot of the work as arguments for reasoning.

Lenis also understood what Fujimaru Ritsuka meant. Moreover, although she had not yet taken over the El-Melloi name, she had already become a skilled worker in charge of foreign affairs when she first took over the El-Melloi family. When dealing with nobles, observation and reasoning were also some indispensable means.

Lyonies quickly wrote down the reasoning corresponding to the two items - but after all, everyone in Chaldea knew what Fujimaru Ritsuka had in his hand, so the trouble was to write a reasonable reason to connect the Valentine's Day gift she gave to Fujimaru Ritsuka and the Bonding Costume left behind by El-Melloi II when he existed as a Pseudo-Servant.

"Number eight..." Watson brought a white handkerchief with pink embroidery as Holmes requested, and put back the props he had taken away before. "I didn't expect that someone would actually get a personal item... The number six I took before turned out to be an armband. As long as the sleeves of an armband are not too long, you can't tell if it's missing when you put it on a coat... Holmes!?"

In fact, in addition to observing each prop, there is another way to write a high accuracy answer - that is to observe who has not taken the props that you don't know the answer to. Those who have not taken them are the owners of these items. After all, this is not off-site information, it is even on-site information; but there are also troublesome places, for example, after discussing, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Lenise implemented a policy of not taking any props.

——However, this is not a big problem. Who asked the person answering the question to be Sherlock Holmes?

But Watson didn't know what Holmes asked him to do with the props - he just knew that Holmes would carefully examine each prop before putting it back and starting to write the reasoning. It was not until he took number 8 that he realized from the side that Holmes had already written the corresponding answer for each question...

——It’s just that the reasoning process is still missing.

It was precisely because Watson discovered this that he suddenly called out Holmes' name - although he always called "Sherlock" and "Sherlock" in Chaldea, the only way he didn't call the wrong person was because Holmes and Sherlock could distinguish the different tones of Watson, the head of the apartment at 221B Baker Street, Valhalla; and now that he was outside, it would be better to call him by a name that was easier to distinguish.

"Hmm..." Holmes took the handkerchief from Watson, glanced at the character information next to him, and then whispered to Watson, "I know how to write it - and what's wrong with you, Watson?"

“Should I be thankful that there is no cigarette on it?” Watson looked around and confirmed that everyone was busy doing the questions so that the atmosphere of the filming scene was about to completely turn into an examination scene. He pointed at the items placed in the center of the round table with a pun, “So that you can still think with your cigarette.”

Ritsuka Fujimaru, who was discussing with Lenise how to write the next reasoning, laughed out loud the moment she heard Watson's words - when she was initially defining the range of props for the program crew, she had put smoke in it.

- A box of cigars in the suit that El-Melloi II gave as a Valentine's Day return gift; the tobacco that Sherlock Holmes often smoked; and the same brand of rolled cigarettes that Sherlock and William smoked...

But in the end, none of these things were selected.

Those who understood Watson's ridicule of Holmes laughed out loud, and even the members who didn't understand or answered the questions seriously started laughing - the round table hall was instantly filled with a happy atmosphere, and the studio was pulled back from the examination room of a large-scale examination to the recording site of a variety show.

——After all, this test only prohibited them from discussing with each other, but did not prohibit them from chatting.

The idols who realized that they were still filming variety shows reflected on their previous actions, and then began to look for people to talk to in accordance with their personalities in order to provide highlights that meet the needs of the variety show - even if they are a mystery show, they have to create some parts that can make the audience feel happy.

Thus, in a pleasant atmosphere, the half-hour test came to an end.