There’s no denying Shoushimin Series has been much more interesting to me this season. And judging by aggregator scores it seems I’m not alone in that reaction. I was quite worried when the Billy Mumphrey firestarter arc ended, as that seemed to herald a return to focus solely on Osanai and Kobato. But while that’s certainly happened, seeing them presented as this arc has is considerably less insufferable than much of the first season was. As the series has embraced its (and their) perversity, it’s found a much more engaging voice.

Something funny is going on in that hospital where Kobato is laid up (and I don’t just mean the sponge baths, which have to be awkward for a teenager). Why do we keep seeing the name tags of the medical staff – and pointedly not that of the sponge bath nurse? It seems likely to be connected to Yuki’s “Why can’t we meet?” note (jumping ahead to the end of the episode). Nursie seems very concerned about what Jougorou consumes and doesn’t consume, too. Yuki meanwhile is reduced to hiding secret messages under cover of plushies and choccies.

Osanai is the common link between the two hit-and-run incidents, but so far there’s no firm evidence she was the target in either case. As usual we bop back and forth between present and flashback, and it’s fun seeing these two weirdos tackle a mystery together for the first time. We can see the embryonic stages of Yuki’s present persona here – tactless, arrogant, vindictive. I mean, she does have a reason to be pissed off here – especially if, as she says, the driver of the minivan sped up when they made eye contact. That may be a feint to suggest she was the target, but even if it’s true it could easily be explained by the driver’s desire to silence a witness.

Yuki’s ploy is to coerce the classmate whose father owns the nearby convenience store (again, Shoushimin = no coincidences) to show her the security camera footage from that evening – using Jougorou as a means to increase the pressure. Those cameras, surprisingly, show no evidence of the minivan she says struck Hisaka-kun (her notes suggest a similar “disappearance” occurs in the present case too). Yet Yuki and Jougorou’s investigation shows no escape route for the vehicle – it had to go past the cameras at some point. So it is indeed a sort of locked room mystery, as he calls it.

One can see how Osanai is conflicted over Kobato-kun in these flashbacks. She’s naturally condescending and dismissive of everyone (as well as carrying a huge chip on her shoulder about being dismissed based on appearances). And when Joogorou gets to figuring out that Hisaka and Fujidera-kun are covering something up, her instinctive reaction is “what took you so long?” But she also appreciates that he takes her seriously, and that he does have a somewhat analytical mind. I think she even enjoys the fact that he enjoys this so transparently – it amuses her, and you get the idea that very little does.

As to what’s really happening here and how the two incidents are connected, I’m certainly not there yet. My gut is telling me Osanai’s presence in both is coincidental – the first time was staged, and the second targeted at Jougorou for (presumably) exposing that fact. Either way though, Shoushimin Series is definitely served better by having Encyclopedia Brown and Nancy working on mysteries that actually have some consequence – and both of this season’s certainly do.