The story follows energy-conserving Hōtarō Oreki, curious Eru Chitanda, knowledgeable Satoshi Fukube, and stern Mayaka Ibara as they tackle self-contained school mysteries such as a 45-year-old anthology scandal, a student film ending, festival thefts, and personal dilemmas. The narrative stays grounded in themes of curiosity versus apathy, talent and expectations, and personal growth through everyday puzzles within a traditional Japanese high school setting, with no identity politics, systemic critiques, or activist framing present in plot, dialogue, or character arcs. Creator statements emphasize atmosphere, realistic backgrounds, and character charm without any activist intent or contemporary social justice themes.

All characters originate from the source material and are voiced by a standard Japanese cast, with no casting departures or modern diversity mandates applied. This results in a pure episodic mystery and slice-of-life experience free of progressive ideological elements.