The independent wrestling circuit?!

Wait... No!

I wanted to be a detective. I joined this agency to be a detective, right? Shortly after that, I'd learned that instead, I'd be treated as a call-girl for people with futanari fetishes. That's what I was now, right? A miserable existence, but one I may be equipped to handle.

So why am I approaching the city's independent wrestling circuit?! A-Are we going to watch a match? We're going to watch a match, right, Princess?

"The Princess would never demean herself to sit in the spectator's seat. No, I intend to compete. Serving as my tag partner will be the easiest way to get acclimated."

Acclimated to what?! I'm not a wrestler, I'm a detective! That's not just a matter of my preference in occupation either. Look at me! My skinny arms and legs! My prescription glasses! My handbag full of nerdy mystery novels! I wasn't built for a wrestling ring!

"And that's precisely why you must enter one. You have to harden your body and hone your technique to excel at this profession and become worthy of my acknowledgment, Hojo."

I-Is Genkei really paying you to moonlight as a wrestler? What does this have to do with detective work?!

"He is. It's an official request by the wrestling federation. In exchange for my participation in the league during what would ordinarily be my working hours, I get double-paid by both employers, while Genkei receives front-row seats to the action. Everybody wins in this arrangement."

Except he's not getting any form of payment out of this, is he? Besides the tickets? How does he even stay in business? That was a real mystery worth solving... Whatever the case, this was some supremely bad news. There was nothing in this wide world I was less suited for, with my geeky Katsumi body, than participating in a wrestling league. Beyond that, I'd been **** to get away from that pervert who was now my boss and now learned that he was going to be watching front-and-center as I humiliated myself! Maybe I'd get lucky and there'd be no tag-in...?

Princess looked over her shoulder with a rare, encouraging smile. "Ha ha... You aren't expected to perform to the level of the Princess, Ms. Hojo. Simply stay near to the corner and I'll get the hot tag when the time is ripe."

Upon arriving to the venue, I learned some interesting information backstage, once Princess had gone to her private locker room... Apparently, Danuja Takeda had a tag partner who was taken out earlier today in a mysterious attack and rushed to the hospital. That would explain why the Princess was hanging around the vending area back at ODD headquarters... she'd been looking for someone to replace her tag partner in this important bout. On one hand, that made me feel a little annoyed... she'd framed this as generously offering her time to train a rookie, but wasn't this actually her getting bailed out of a bad situation? If anything, she should be thanking me!

On the other hand... I felt a little excited! The circumstances of the attack were still shrouded in mystery. Didn't that make this a real mystery to solve after all? Princess hadn't asked me to investigate it or find an answer, but I resolved to do it in my spare time. I was going to figure out who took out her partner before the end of the day's matches! Ideally, if I figured it out fast enough and pegged my opponents as the bad guys... wouldn't that mean that I could get the match called off? Then Princess would win and I wouldn't have to risk my life in this competition! Hurray! Hurray for detective work!

Rather than searching Princess out to let her know this legal loophole in the match I'd just figured out, I resolved to get straight to work on finding the perpetrators. There was no need for me to-

Princess' strong hand shot out and grabbed my wrist as I turned to run. H-her grip strength is impressive! Ow!

"There's plenty of time before our match, but that doesn't mean you should slack off. Let's get you into costume, at least. Then, I'll happily release you to wander around backstage with your little pen, if that's what you're set on doing..."

L-Little pen?! What was she implying? She hadn't seen anything yet, right?

"... That little pen and notepad. That's what I'm referring to." She smiled wider at my answer, sudden playing one finger around her lips. It seemed as though she was stifling a laugh!

I'd give her something to laugh at!

I-I mean... I'd show her what it meant to be a real detective, when I solved this mystery! But how am I supposed to do that when I'm being dragged off and put in wrestling gear?!