How should I put it, it's too easy to be misunderstood, although I'm not sure if I've misunderstood it myself.

"But there must be a reason why the entrance is set on the second floor."

"Yes, but even now I'm not very clear about it."

Hmm...a reason?

Ryuto couldn't help but ponder, suddenly.

"Ah, I've got it."

An inspiration struck, well, maybe it's not quite right to call it inspiration.

Well, let's just ignore that.

"Huh? Mr. Amagi, have you thought of something?"

"Ah, I'm not sure if it's correct."

"It's okay, Mr. Amagi, please share it with us."

"Yeah, when it comes to secret passages, they are usually meant to be concealed, which means the reason for setting it on the second floor is to make it unexpected."

"Make it unexpected?"

"Yes, after all, under normal circumstances, if someone wants to find a hidden door to a basement, they would look on the first floor, right?"

"Hmm...that makes sense."

Crepes·Clair nodded in agreement.

But then she immediately presented a new perspective.

"But if that's the case, why not just place this storage space directly on the second floor, instead of having a basement which is more easily discovered? If it's on the second floor, the other party would be even less likely to expect it, just like Mr. Amagi said, people usually look for secret compartments in the basement, but if there is no basement to begin with, wouldn't it be safer? Even if someone were to forcibly lift the floorboards later on, it would be of no use."

To this, Ryuto just shook his head.

"No, although this approach is more unexpected, even bordering on a blind spot in human thinking, in reality, it's far from being safe compared to a basement."

"Huh? Why is that?"

"Because, if it's not a basement but a secret space on the second floor, although the surface can be disguised with walls, for some experienced individuals, the disguise is completely ineffective, because no matter how well you disguise it, the space won't match up."

"Space?"

The sudden mention of this term made Crepes·Clair look extremely puzzled.

"Yes, because there is a secret space unknown to others, the actual space outside will be smaller than it should be."

"Well, that's true, but how do those people discover it then?"

Understanding the concept, Crepes·Clair put forth a new viewpoint.

To this, Ryuto remained calm and said, "It's simple, you just need to get hold of the architectural plans for this building."

"The architectural plans for this building?"

"Yes, as long as you mark out each room seen in front of you on the blueprint, it is easy to notice the existence of empty spaces, where there is nothing visible but it takes up a significant amount of space."

"I see, so it's indeed easy to expose."

With her hand supporting her chin, Crepes·Clair murmured softly.

"On the contrary, basements, as they don't exist on the architectural plans to begin with, won't be discovered by the other party due to the absence of space gaps. Although it's easy for people to think of a basement's existence, ultimately, as long as you can prevent them from finding it, the basement is the safest place."

"So, is that why the entrance is placed on the second floor, to prevent them from finding it?"

"Ah, that's probably it."