Chapter 2: Tears and a Broken Alibi on the Holy Night

1

“I...I can’t believe this,” I whispered. I couldn’t believe the results of my end-of-year tests. My parents told me I had to quit my job if I did poorly this time, so I studied harder and even had Holmes tutor me. As a result, I felt fairly confident...but I never would’ve expected this much of an improvement. Holmes said the target was twenty points per subject, but of course that was impossible. Still, my grades this time were the best I’d ever gotten.

“Aoi, you must’ve worked very hard,” my mother said, looking at my report card as we sat in the living room. She sounded pleased, but she also murmured, “I can’t believe it.”

“Y-Yeah. I didn’t want to quit my job...” I answered awkwardly. I was surprised too.

My mother furrowed her brows. “Aoi...”

“Y-Yes?”

“I’m not trying to doubt you, but to be honest, it’s very unusual to be able to improve your grades so much so quickly, right?” She placed my report card on the table and looked me straight in the eye. It was the look of a parent scolding a naughty child. She might think that I was so desperate to keep my job that I cheated on the tests. From her perspective, I was still working just as much as before. I didn’t spend extra time studying in my room, and I didn’t go to cram school. So, she didn’t know how it was possible. I don’t like being suspected, but it’s true that my grades are so out of character that she’s right to doubt me.

“I didn’t cheat or anything,” I declared flatly.

My mother didn’t say anything. Her expression softened, but she still didn’t seem to accept it.

“S-Someone at work felt responsible for my grades and helped me study,” I said quietly. I felt nervous for some reason.

My mother gaped. “Your coworker tutored you?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Do they know how to be a tutor?”

“Y-Yes. They’re a grad student at Kyoto U, so...” Come to think of it, I never told my mother about my workplace. I gave simple explanations when necessary, like when we went on an overnight trip to appraise Akihito’s aunt’s antiques, or when I went to see a kabuki show as a bonus. But I never explained how I ended up working there or who I was working with. It all started because of my own dishonesty, after all.

“R-Really?! That’s amazing!” she squeaked, immediately understanding everything. I should’ve told her that from the start, I thought, shrugging my shoulders. Kyoto U really is a powerful name. “But, that grad student is also a part-timer, right? Why did they feel responsible?” she pressed.

I clammed up. “U-Umm, how do I put this...?” Where do I begin...?

First, I told her about Kura and the Yagashira family. The owner—a famous, nationally certified appraiser, the manager—a historical fiction author, and Holmes, the owner’s apprentice and grandson.

My mother listened to my summary earnestly. “Hmm, that’s an interesting family.” She nodded, intrigued. “Seiji Yagashira... I haven’t heard of him, but your late grandfather might’ve known him. He loved antiques, after all,” she murmured to herself, folding her arms.

I guess the owner’s name doesn’t have an effect on people from Kanto. “Y-Yeah, he might’ve. The owner seems to be well known in Kansai. Anyway, it’s thanks to Holmes that my grades went up. They didn’t go down because of work in the first place.”

“Holmes?” My mother tilted her head.

“I-It’s a nickname. He’s perceptive like Sherlock Holmes, plus his surname is Yagashira.”

“Oh, I see. Because it has the character for ‘home’ in it,” she said, immediately understanding again. I think I can understand how Holmes feels every time he gives that explanation. “So, it’s because of this ‘Holmes’ fellow that you got such good grades?” She picked up my report card and giggled.

“Y-Yes.”

“I’d like to thank him, then.”

“Huh?”

“Invite him over sometime—only if he wants to, of course. Your grades improved so much because of his tutoring, and he took you to see the Kaomise. He must’ve helped you with other things too, right? Ask when’s a good time for him.” She leaned forward, smiling.

My face stiffened. The idea of inviting Holmes to our house felt strange. What will he think? Suddenly, I remembered something he said: “I’m interested in your grandfather’s collection. I’d like to appraise it sometime.” This could be a good chance to get my grandfather’s antiques appraised. I was still embarrassed and hesitant about it, but I nodded and said that I would.

2

The next day, I visited Kura on my way home from school.

Ueda was sitting at the counter. “Oh, so he didn’t wanna get married to begin with, huh?” He sighed, disappointed. Apparently they’d been talking about the hanging scroll that Ueda had brought in. Holmes had told him that his father wasn’t being considerate—he simply didn’t want to remarry.

“I actually set that guy up for a marriage meeting a while back,” Ueda said.

“You did?” Holmes seemed surprised.

“Uh huh.” Ueda nodded.

I’d heard about it from the manager already, but apparently Holmes hadn’t.

“There was a great woman who was a big fan of his—real pretty and graceful. Just like him, her spouse passed away and her kids are already grown up. It doesn’t get better than that, right? So, I got him to meet her and didn’t tell him it was a marriage meeting until after the fact. Then, he said, ‘Sorry, but I’ll have to decline.’ Now why would he do that? It’s a darn shame,” Ueda said disdainfully, resting his chin in his hands.

“Now, now.” Holmes chuckled from across the counter. “Please leave him be. If my father wants to remarry, he’ll do so without anyone’s meddling.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. The men of the Yagashira family are stubborn, so we won’t do anything we’re told to unless we agree with it.” His words were extremely convincing. Ueda and I inadvertently exchanged glances and nodded in understanding.

“Well, all right.” Ueda turned back to Holmes and clapped his hand. “So about what I was saying before, can you do it?”

Holmes silently looked down and started checking the inventory list.

“Completely ignoring me, huh?” Ueda pouted.

I tilted my head. “Did you ask Holmes to do something for you, Ueda?” Since I’d just arrived, I didn’t know what they were talking about before. What did he ask for?

“Uh huh. You tell him too, Aoi. He won’t do me a favor even though I helped him out last time.”

“What...?” Holmes furrowed his brow. “That has nothing to do with this.”

“What’s the favor?” I asked.

“I’m opening a store and I want Holmes to stand outside the entrance for just a week. He’s good-looking, right? He’d make a great poster boy.” Ueda framed Holmes’s face in his hands.

“What’s the point in making me stand there for a week when I’m not going to be working there regularly? Besides, I’m busy with university and this store. I don’t have time to help with another store.” Exasperated, Holmes turned to the side and shooed Ueda’s hands away.

I see his point. Juggling university and Kura was enough work as it was, and I didn’t think there was any point in helping Ueda with his store for just a week.

“My shop’s got a good atmosphere once you go in, and the quality’s good too. I know people are gonna become repeat visitors. I just need someone at the start to pull people in, like a panda at a zoo. C’mon, Holmes, be my panda.”

“Please don’t blatantly call me a panda.” Holmes quickly turned away. Since he’s stubborn, it’ll be hard to win him over.

“What kind of store are you opening, Ueda?” I asked.

Despite appearances, Ueda was a skilled businessman. He took part in a variety of operations based in Osaka, ranging from management consulting to customs clearance services. His outfit today made it clear that he was successful—a high-quality Italian suit, a platinum watch, and shoes polished to a shine.

“A trend-following dessert cafe.”

“Trend-following?”

“Yeah, trends change all the time, right? Crepes to waffles, bagels to pancakes. So, the plan is to always keep up with the latest fads in sweets and desserts.”

“Oh, that’s a nice idea.”

“Also, all of the staff will be good-looking guys. You could say we serve eye candy too.”

“E-Eye candy...”

“So, I want to get Holmes in there, even if it’s just for the start.”

“I-I see.” I completely understood now. A cafe where good-looking young men serve you popular desserts... I can see why Ueda wants to include Holmes. The image of Holmes carrying a tray of desserts was too perfect.

“I’m begging you, Holmes! You’re Teramachi-Sanjo’s panda—I mean, hottest guy!”

“I’m flattered, but no,” Holmes answered decisively without hesitation.

“Don’t be so heartless! Oh right, it’s almost Christmas, y’know? I’ll pay you top dollar!”

“Believe it or not, I’m working very hard. I don’t need your pay. Besides, how could I abandon my own store to drive up the profits of someone else’s?” Holmes smiled coldly.

Ueda’s face stiffened. “You’re a nasty guy.”

“You just realized?”

“No, I already knew.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. They really were close. It was as if they were family.

“Okay then, how about this? When you’re at my store, you can even shill Kura. Be like, ‘I’m only here temporarily—normally I work at an antique store in Teramachi-Sanjo. We have all sorts of miscellaneous goods too, so you should stop by!’ It’s a chance to get new customers.”

Holmes paused. Apparently that didn’t seem like such a bad idea. “A week is a long time, though. I’d have to go to Osaka every day, right?”

“Oh, it ain’t in Osaka. The store’s gonna be in Kyoto, on Kitayama Street,” Ueda said smoothly.

“Kitayama Street?!” Holmes and I exclaimed in unison.

Kitayama Street is even farther north than North Oji Street. It’s a stylish, exotic street lined with Western-style buildings, churches, and trees—not what you’d expect to find in Kyoto. By the way, it’s also close to where I live.

“I see,” Holmes said, folding his arms. “That’s a good place for a cafe. It’s an artsy neighborhood close to a botanical garden and a concert hall. I see you’re an expert at your trade.”

“Well, yeah. Oh right, didn’t you say you wanted to turn this place into a cafe one day? It’ll be a good experience for you.”

“Well, I don’t mind helping if it’s on Kitayama Street. A week is still too long, though.”

“All right, we’ll make it five days! How’s that?” Ueda opened his hand to represent the number five.

“Three days. That’s my limit.” Holmes held up three fingers.

“Four days, then! Right in the middle! It’s a done deal!” Ueda clapped his hands.

Ueda...

“Fine, four days.” Holmes gave a defeated sigh.

“All right, now that that’s settled, can you come over Saturday evening? I want you to see the place. I’ll let Takeshi know what’s up.”

“Fine...”

“Thanks, Holmes. I’ll pay you top dollar.” Ueda merrily drank his coffee.

“No, you don’t need to pay me. You’re always helping me, so I’d like to offer my assistance free of charge.” Holmes smiled brightly, as if he were an innocent boy. For some reason, it made me shudder.

Ueda stiffened, as though he felt the same way. “I see... ‘Nothing costs more than what’s received for free.’ You’re a sneaky one.”

“Not as much as you, Ueda. Don’t worry, I’ll do my work properly,” Holmes said smoothly, looking back down at the inventory list.

“I know you will. Once you’ve taken something on, you always do a bang-up job of it. I feel like I’m gonna be in debt for a while.” Ueda sighed. “Anyway, I gotta run. See you Saturday.” He left the store.

With Ueda gone, the store felt even quieter than usual. I could hear the clock going tick, tock.

Holmes looked up as if he remembered something. “Come to think of it, how were your test results, Aoi?”

“O-Oh!” I straightened my posture. “I was just about to report on that!”

“Aoi, this isn’t the military. But based on your mood today, they were satisfactory, right?” I was smiling before he even asked.

“Yes, they were the highest scores I’ve ever gotten. My ranking shot up so much that my mother suspected me of cheating.”

“Really?” He looked worried.

I hurriedly shook my head. “It’s okay. I told her that I was tutored by a grad student from Kyoto U, and she let me off the hook.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“A-And she said she wanted you to come over so she could thank you,” I said nervously.

Holmes’s eyes widened. “There’s no need for that. It’s our fault your grades fell in the first place.”

“N-No, that’s not true. B-But you wouldn’t want to, right? I’ll tell her that you’re too busy. I just wanted you to know how thankful she was,” I said quickly, feeling awkward.

“Come to think of it, your grandfather left many antiques and hanging scrolls at your house, right?” Holmes placed his hand on his chin.

“Y-Yes.”

“I did want to see them, so would you allow me to take her up on that offer?”

“O-Of course. She said we can fit it into your schedule.”

“How about next Saturday, then? I have to go to Ueda’s cafe in the evening, so sometime before that.”

“I-I think that’ll be fine. Saturday afternoon, then.”

“Would you like to come to see Ueda’s cafe with me afterwards?”

“Yes, of course.”

“In that case, I’ll drop by your house at around 2 p.m. and we’ll go to Ueda’s cafe after.”

“O-Okay.”

“I’m excited to see your family’s collection.”

“It’s probably full of fakes, but thank you.” I bowed.

3

Then it was Saturday. Just before 2 p.m., I was heading out to the nearest bus stop to fetch Holmes.

“Okay, I’m going now.” As I was putting on my shoes, my mother came running from the kitchen.

“A-Are you sure a Baikal apple pie will be okay?” she asked. Baikal is a dessert store local to Kyoto.

“Y-Yeah. He said before that he likes them, so it should be all right. You don’t have to make a fuss.”

“R-Really? Okay, you can go now. Don’t keep the teacher waiting.”

“O-Okay. He’s not a teacher, though.” Apparently, my mother was fully imagining him as a tutor from Kyoto U. I smiled awkwardly and left.

The bus stop was about ten minutes away. I walked quickly, energized by the bright rays of the sun. The winter air was a bit chilly, but since it was a sunny day, it still felt nice and warm. When I arrived at the bus stop, Holmes was already there, as expected. He was leaning against a wall, looking at a small notebook.

“Holmes!” I jogged over.

Holmes smiled. “Hello, Aoi.”

“Were you waiting long?”

“No, not at all.”

“Sorry for always keeping you waiting. I tried to come early this time.”

“It still isn’t 2 p.m. yet, so it’s fine. Is your house this way?”

“Yes. My mother is eagerly waiting.”

“Now I’m getting nervous,” he said as we walked.

That surprised me. Even Holmes gets nervous, huh?

“It’s off-putting that she suddenly wants to thank you, right?”

“No, that’s not it. I’m just afraid that even though you don’t have to quit your job anymore, she’ll meet me and think, ‘I can’t let my daughter work with such a black-hearted person,’” he said with a serious face.

I almost burst out laughing. “I-It’s okay. You don’t look black-hearted at all at first glance.”

“No, I may be able to fool people our age, but there are many aspects of me that adults can see through. My father, grandfather, and Ueda all know that I’m black-hearted.”

“That’s because they’ve known you for a long time. I think you can trick most people, regardless of age or gender. Have some confidence in yourself. You look like a great person on the outside. Not black-hearted at all,” I insisted.

Holmes made a complicated expression and chuckled. “Thank you...but that was rather harsh.”

“Y-You’re right. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. Your honesty puts me at ease.”

“Huh?”

“Ever since we first met, you’ve been completely open with me. I think that’s why I never had to put up a wall between us.” Come to think of it, Holmes often said things to me that he supposedly wouldn’t have said to anyone else. Maybe it’s because I behaved so shamefully when we first met that he subconsciously didn’t feel the need to keep up appearances.

We continued chatting as we walked. When we were almost at my house, I started feeling a bit nervous as well. Our conversation naturally died down.

“Is your whole family home?” Holmes asked.

I looked up. “My grandmother went on a trip for seniors to eat snow crab, and my dad is golfing with people from his company.”

“So those two are absent.”

“Yes. Oh, over there.” My house was in a completely ordinary residential neighborhood—one of many houses crammed tightly together.

“Your house is on the large side,” Holmes said upon seeing it.

I choked on my breath. “Wh-What?!”

“You’re always saying it’s small.”

“I-It is! Compared to the Yagashira estate, it’s like a hamster cage!”

“That building is also Seiji Yagashira’s art gallery, so it can’t be compared to normal houses. Most homes in Kyoto are small, so I’d consider yours on the large side.”

The old house built by my grandparents took up almost the entire lot, only leaving room for a parking space. In that sense, our house might be slightly bigger than the ones around it. That said, it’s still a completely ordinary house. Still, I did feel slightly relieved. Now I didn’t have to be embarrassed about Holmes seeing my tiny, old house.

I excitedly opened the front door and shouted, “I-I’m back!” I heard the sounds of hurried footsteps coming from all directions.

“Mom, Aoi’s back!” my younger brother shouted from the second floor.

“I-I know!” my mother shouted back from the kitchen.

Why are they so loud?! This is embarrassing!

Standing next to me, Holmes chuckled.

The first person to show up was my younger brother, who is in his second year of middle school. Since the stairs were right next to the entrance, we could see him coming down.

“Oh, hey there, Aoi,” he said, clearly not actually caring about me. He looked at Holmes and stopped in his tracks.

“Nice to meet you,” Holmes said with a smile. “I’m Kiyotaka Yagashira.”

My brother’s face reddened in the blink of an eye. “I-I’m Mutsuki Mashiro,” he said awkwardly, stiff with nervousness.

Then, my mother swooped in. “Why, hello there. I’m Aoi’s mother.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kiyotaka Yagashira.” Holmes bowed.

Just like my brother, my mother froze too. “Wait, Aoi! You didn’t tell me he was going to be this charming!”

“R-Right?!” my brother exclaimed. “I was surprised too! You said he was a grad student at Kyoto U, so I was imagining some super-serious guy!”

“Exactly!”

“G-Geez, calm down,” I scolded them, blushing furiously. “Anyway, please come in, Holmes.”

“Thank you.” He came inside and crouched to take off his shoes and line them up neatly. My mother and brother gasped at his smooth, elegant movements. You’re staring too much, guys!

“Take a seat first, and we can have tea,” I said. We went to the living room to sit down on the sofa. There were flowers on the table that weren’t usually there.

“I know it’s nothing special to you since it’s from Shimogamo, but I brought sweets from one of my favorite bakeries. Please share them with the family, if you’d like,” Holmes said before sitting down. He took a box out of a paper bag and held it out with both hands. The box had the French word “Lamartine” on it.

“Why, thank you, Mr. Yagashira. This is that fancy bakery on Main Street, right? I’ve been curious, but I’ve never had a chance to go. I heard from Aoi that you like Baikal’s apple pie, so...” My mother placed plates of apple pie on the table.

“Thank you very much. I do love Baikal’s apple pie. But, er, could you not call me ‘Mr. Yagashira’? Just ‘Kiyotaka’ will be fine.”

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. It just slipped out.” She still had it in her head that Holmes was my teacher. “Kiyotaka, then. I also bought this—I thought you might like it.” She eagerly placed some mame daifuku—rice cakes stuffed with beans—on the table. Is this really something to get excited over? I wondered, feeling somewhat disappointed.

I glanced at Holmes, whose eyes were wide open.

“This is Demachi Futaba’s mame mochi, right?!” he exclaimed.

“Yes, from the Demachi shopping district.”

Huh?

“I’m delighted. You waited in line for these just for me? Thank you so much.”

“Yes, the line is always so long.”

“Which line were you in?”

“I was lucky and there were only two lines when I went today. It turned into three before long, though.”

“It goes up to four lines during the busy season, right? Demachi Futaba’s mame mochi is such a treat.”

“I’m glad you think so. My friend from our neighborhood told me that anyone from Kyoto would be sure to love it.”

“Yes, of course. Oh, and I love the apple pie too.”

Holmes and my mother were strangely excited. Apparently the mame daifuku that my mother bought from the Demachi shopping district was actually called mame mochi. It seemed to be very popular in Kyoto.

After getting some formalities out of the way, it was time for tea.

“Oh, this mame mochi really is good.”

“The mochi is soft, the beans are flaky, and the bean paste is delightfully sweet. I’m so happy—I wasn’t expecting to be able to eat mame mochi today.”

“Aoi, these cookies are really good!”

“The apple pie is delicious too. It’s been a while since I last had it.”

Thanks to the sweets, everyone was talking really openly. Kyoto sweets are a force to be reckoned with.

“We’ve heard all about your heroic tales as ‘Holmes,’” my mother said while refilling our teacups.

“What?” Holmes’s eyes widened. “Heroic tales?”

My brother nodded firmly. “Like how you solved the mystery of the manga artist’s tea bowl at Ninna Temple, and the mystery of the hanging scrolls at Mount Kurama!”

“Yes, and you exposed the culprit when an antique was broken at your grandfather’s birthday party,” my mother added.

“Oh, oh! There was Kisuke Ichikata’s womanizing too!”

“You really are amazing!”

My mother and brother spoke merrily.

R-Right, after telling them about my workplace, they were curious about why Holmes was called “Holmes,” and I ended up telling them everything. Well, it’s more like they kept asking for more, so I was forced to.

“No, those were all just coincidences,” Holmes said unconvincingly.

“May I consult with you if I get caught up in something?”

“Me too!” my brother said.

I just about spit out my tea. “That’s enough! You’re not going to get caught up in cases that easily.”

“Oh, you never know,” my mother said. “It’s not like those cases were murders or anything.”

“Yeah, small things can happen to anyone!”

Holmes smiled. “I don’t know if I’d be of any use, but I’d be glad to help.”

My mother and brother gasped in awe and blushed. His smile was so radiant you’d think there was a halo over his head. You really didn’t need to worry, Holmes. You aren’t giving off the slightest hint of black-heartedness right now, I whispered in my heart.

Afterwards, my mother kept trying to offer him something as thanks and he kept declining. I decided that we should go to my room.

We climbed the stairs and walked to the end of the hall. “Sorry she’s so stubborn, Holmes. This is my room.” I opened the door. My room was about the size of six tatami mats, with a bed, desk, bookshelf, chest of drawers, and a small table with cushions around it. There was also an old-fashioned storage nook that I hung a cute curtain over, disguising it as a normal closet. My carpet and bedsheets were both light green, while my window curtains were yellow. I’d done my best to clean up before Holmes came, but it was still a decades-old house. I couldn’t hide how worn out the ceiling and walls were, which was a bit embarrassing.

“It has a lovely, bright color scheme.”

“Th-Thanks. I’ll go get something for us to drink, so please have a seat.”

“I already drank a lot, so I’ll be fine,” Holmes said, sitting down on one of the cushions I’d prepared. He leaned back against my bed.

“Oh, okay.” Right—we were having tea this whole time.

The moment I stopped walking, Holmes placed his hand on his forehead and sighed deeply.

“Wh-What’s wrong? Did my mother’s relentless thanking spree tire you out?”

“No, it’s just that I really was nervous.”

“Wh-What?” It didn’t look that way.

“Was that okay? Do you think she noticed anything?”

“N-No, you were very likeable! I’m impressed!” I clenched my fists.

Holmes laughed. “Thanks, that’s a relief,” he said, reverting to his Kyoto accent with a carefree grin. Caught off guard, my heart skipped a beat.

He took a deep breath, saying, “I feel calmer now.” He looked around my room again. “The room of a girl living with her family certainly is different from the room of a woman who lives by herself. It’s sort of refreshing—and nostalgic.”

“Um, do you often go to the rooms of women who live alone?”

“Oh, no. I mean, not with just the two of us, but with my university friends,” he hastily corrected himself. I couldn’t help but laugh. Did he think I was going to say, “You say you don’t have a girlfriend, but you’re going to women’s houses? Jerk!” or something?

“You’re an adult, so there’s nothing strange about going to a woman’s house, right? You don’t have to panic like that,” I said, giggling.

Holmes slumped his shoulders. He had a complicated expression on his face.

“Also, when you said ‘nostalgic,’ were you recalling Izumi’s room?”

“No... I never went into Izumi’s room.”

“Wait, really?”

“I’ve been to her house, but we only had tea in the living room or parlor. Her parents were very strict, so they didn’t approve of her being alone in her room with the opposite sex while she was still in high school.”

“I-I see. That’s too bad.”

“Yes. However, back then, I was trying my hardest to show off to her, so I said responsible things like, ‘Let’s listen to your parents and have tea in the living room’ even though I really didn’t mean it.”

I burst out laughing. “You say you were trying to show off back then, but do you not do that anymore?”

“My showing off resulted in getting completely dumped, so...” He chuckled.

I suddenly felt bad and shrank in my seat. “S-Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Oh right, her house isn’t very far from here. It was in Matsugasaki.”

“Oh, I see. You’re right, that’s not far.” It wasn’t close either, though. Matsugasaki was farther north from my neighborhood, Shimogamo. I had the impression that it was a rich neighborhood, like Okazaki or Kinugasa. Although Shimogamo is also considered a rich neighborhood, my house aside. She might’ve been from a wealthy family, considering how strict her parents were.

“It’s strange, though. She was from such a strict family, and yet...” Once she started university, she was immediately seduced by a playboy at a group date. I clammed up, unable to finish my sentence.

“Well, it just goes to show how oppressed she felt. Her parents and even her boyfriend were straitlaced, so it might’ve been stifling for her. When I look back at it now, I think it was only natural,” Holmes said calmly, seeming to have realized what I was thinking.

“But considering how perceptive you are, you could’ve figured out how she felt and did something about it...” I frowned, having a hard time understanding how their relationship turned out the way it did.

Holmes chuckled lightly. “Aoi, I may be rather clever, but I’m completely useless when romantic feelings are involved.”

“What do you mean?”

“When feelings and expectations come into the picture, I can’t make calm decisions and analyses anymore. Even I think that it would’ve gone a bit better if I’d been my usual self.”

“O-Oh...” That was unexpected. Then again, people often say that everyone slips up when it comes to themselves. No matter how high-performance a computer is, it’ll still break if you spill sweet syrup on it. I always wondered how that could happen to someone so perceptive, but I guess that’s why his relationship with Izumi failed. I nodded, finally understanding.

“It wasn’t just Izumi. There was another time when I thought a girl had a crush on me because of her behavior, but it turned out that that wasn’t the case.” He shrugged.

“Th-That even happens to you? How did you know that you were wrong?”

He hesitated before answering, “People mistook us for a couple, and she seemed extremely bothered by that. She strongly denied it.”

“O-Oh... That’s a shame.” If she did like him, she would’ve been happy about that misunderstanding.

“Yes, apparently I was just being vain. It was unfortunate.” Holmes smiled wryly.

I nodded, not knowing what to say. I really never would’ve expected Holmes to have these problems. “Oh, but if you thought it was unfortunate, does that mean you wanted to be in a relationship again?” I looked him in the eye, but he immediately averted his gaze.

“Who knows?” He seemed to have mixed feelings. Somehow, I knew exactly how he felt. When Kaori asked me that same question, I couldn’t answer either. It’s like if you see a field of flowers on the other side of a river and you want to roll around in them, but you’ve nearly drowned in a river before, so you can’t bring yourself to say, “I want to go to the flowers.”

While I was lost in thought, Holmes whispered, “Whenever I hold myself back, I get an unexpected response that throws me for a loop...”

I came back to my senses. “Huh?”

Holmes smiled weakly. “It’s nothing. In the end, it’s difficult for a man to understand a woman’s heart.”

“Oh...” No matter how smart you are, romantic feelings don’t always go the way you want them to. Maybe that’s just how the world works.

Holmes looked up. “Oh right, Aoi. Could I see your grandfather’s collection?” he said, as if he’d just remembered.

“Sure. It’s on the first floor. Do you want to see it right now?”

“Yes.” We stood up, left my room, and headed for the first floor.

Mutsuki poked his face in and asked, “Aoi, are you going outside?” Apparently he was extremely curious about us.

“No, he’s going to take a look at Grandpa’s collection for us.”

We entered a Japanese-style room. On the shelves were vases, tea bowls, and hanging scrolls rolled up like a ninja’s hand scroll.

“There are also things in wooden boxes in the storage room,” I said, opening the door to reveal many piles of boxes.

“I see. He really did love antiques, then. May I begin?”

“Yes, please do.”

Holmes quickly took his white gloves out of his inner pocket and carefully examined each and every tea bowl and plate. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

“This was Grandpa’s most prized hanging scroll,” I said, picking up a scroll from the shelf with my gloved hands. “He was always bragging about how it has Hokusai’s signature on it...” I unrolled the scroll, revealing a beautiful Hokusai painting of Mount Fuji.

“Ah, this is the work of Hokusai’s pupil,” Holmes said calmly as he checked it.

“The pupil signed his teacher’s name?” I asked, perplexed.

“Yes.” Holmes nodded. “Hokusai changed his alias several times, giving his past names to his pupils. Also, since they started learning ukiyo-e by copying their teacher, their painting styles are very similar. So, it’s only natural for there to be works by his pupils that have his name on them.”

“In other words, this was by a pupil who inherited his name. That’s kind of confusing.”

“Indeed. As I’ve explained before, ukiyo-e involves a carver, a printer, a paper craftsman, and so on, so it can be considered the most difficult type of art to appraise. There’s a famous story called ‘The Shunpoan Incident’ that describes how difficult it is.” He cast his eyes down, seeming dejected.

“What’s that?” I tilted my head.

“In the ninth year of the Showa period, there was a huge discovery of hand-painted ukiyo-e by Sharaku and Hokusai. As I said, hand-painted ukiyo-e are one-of-a-kind—they aren’t prints. They would be incredibly valuable nowadays.

“It was said that Sharaku’s original paintings had all been destroyed in a great earthquake, but a family of noble descent who called themselves Shunpoan revealed that they were in possession of them. A renowned appraiser named Professor Rinpu Sasagawa determined that the paintings were genuine, and it was considered the discovery of the century. They would’ve been worth the equivalent of hundreds of millions of yen.

“However, it was later found that they were all counterfeits that had been forged by a certain nefarious group. The professor’s reputation hit rock bottom. The world criticized him for being too lenient with his appraisal, but for those in the business, it gives us chills—that could be any one of us tomorrow. Ukiyo-e are incredibly difficult to appraise. Even a Hokusai painting at an influential museum could later be proved to be a fake.”

“I see.” I nodded.

“There are three criteria by which we judge hand-painted ukiyo-e: the seal, its history, and the painting style.

“The seal refers to the name and stamp on the painting. In other words, the signature.

“History refers to the work’s origin. Rather than its appearance, we judge based on whose possession it has been in. It’s believed that the decision made in the Shunpoan Scandal was heavily influenced by the fact that the paintings came from a noble family.

“Lastly, there’s the painting style. However, an artist’s pupils had permission to copy his work. In the extreme case of Hokusai, he even gave them his aliases.”

“I-It does sound difficult when you put it that way,” I remarked.

“Yes. However, this is unmistakably the work of Hokusai’s pupil. Since it’s a reprint, I’d say it’s worth around ten thousand yen.” He smiled as he held the scroll.

I nodded. “It’s unfortunate that it wasn’t his own, but I’m glad I got to hear an interesting story. About Sharaku—does that mean his original paintings no longer exist?”

“In 2008, an original Sharaku Toshusai painting on a folding fan was found on the island of Corfu in Greece. It was a major discovery.”

“Wh-What? Why was it found in Greece?”

“Apparently, a Greek ambassador had spent the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth spending all of his fortune on Asian art. His collection was stored on a small island. It remained there untouched for around a century and was only discovered in recent years. There were many other valuable works of art there besides Sharaku’s. My grandfather and I were also extremely excited by the news.”

I nodded, intrigued.

“Also, this discovery revealed Sharaku’s secret—until then, he was called ‘the mysterious artist.’”

“He was?”

“Yes. Sharaku appeared suddenly in the Edo period, released a great number of revolutionary ukiyo-e, and then abruptly disappeared after only ten months. No one knew his true identity.”

“That is mysterious.” I nodded. As I was putting the hanging scroll away, I noticed another one hidden at the back of the shelf. “Oh, there’s another one here.” I reached out to grab it. “I’m sure this one’s fake too.”

“We won’t know until we see it. Allow me,” Holmes said, opening the scroll. He blinked upon seeing it. “Well then... You might not want to look at this, Aoi.”

“Huh?” I turned around and was rendered speechless. The painting was rather obscene... It was a shunga—an erotic ukiyo-e. “O-Oh no, why did Grandpa have something like this?!” That must be why it was hidden. I was so embarrassed I couldn’t look up from the floor.

“Well, this is art too—it provides clues to the culture of the past. This one is by Utamaro.”

“I-Is it his pupil’s?” I asked, still looking away.

“No, it’s his own work. I believe it was produced by Juzaburo Tsutaya,” Holmes said, carefully rolling the shunga.

Relieved that I didn’t have to see it anymore, I regained my senses and asked, “Who’s that?”

“A merchant from the Edo period. He started out with a small bookstore and became the leading publisher of his time in just ten years. He had a real knack for business.”

“I see.” I nodded firmly. “He was amazing, huh?”

“Yes. It’s said that he was ahead of his time with his innovative ideas.”

“Like what?”

“Let’s see... For example, Tsutaya produced guides to the red-light district.”

“Guides?”

“Yes. His guidebooks that listed the names of each establishment’s courtesans were apparently very popular.”

In modern terms, it’d be like those listings magazines in the sex industry... “Th-That’s certainly amazing, considering the era...”

“Innovative, right? He was also mindful of trends—if satirical poems were popular, he’d publish books of satirical poems. Another incredible thing he did was invest in talented young artists by lodging them in his own house and spending money on their training. Thanks to him, the world was graced with many wonderful artists such as Utamaro and Sharaku.”

“W-Wow,” I murmured, impressed. He invested money in the growth of others, who then brought him profit. If he guessed wrong then he would’ve lost money, but I’m sure he was generous enough to not let that stop him. He really was amazing.

“This shunga is also proof of his business sense. The woman in this painting hasn’t completely taken off her kimono,” he said, placing his hand on top of the rolled-up scroll. I shyly nodded. From the quick glimpse I’d gotten earlier, the woman wasn’t completely naked—her kimono was open in front and turned over.

“He actually had partnerships with kimono stores. That’s why many shunga have women wearing kimono.”

I blinked in surprise. “O-Oh!” I exclaimed loudly. Now that he mentions it, all of the shunga I’ve glimpsed before had the woman’s kimono still on. I didn’t know it was because of kimono store partnerships! The goal must’ve been for men to buy the same kimono to give to women.

“Sly, right?” Holmes smiled.

I nodded eagerly. By the way, Holmes considers the word “sly” a compliment.

“Oh right, going back to what I was saying about Sharaku, there were many theories about his identity—some thought he was an alias of Hokusai or a Noh actor. Some even speculated that he was the publisher Tsutaya himself.”

“Tsutaya himself? Really?”

“Yes. However, now it seems like the Noh actor is the most plausible. At the time, Noh actors were of the same importance as samurai, so they were forbidden to have secondary jobs. So, it’s believed that he may have been working in secret. Tsutaya was only the producer.”

“So basically, Tsutaya produced a Noh actor who was a talented artist under the name of Sharaku?”

“Most likely, yes.”

“He really was capable, huh?”

“Yes, I think he may have been the greatest connoisseur and businessman in Edo. Oh right, the reason why Ueda likes ukiyo-e is out of respect for Tsutaya,” Holmes said, putting the hanging scroll into a box.

“Oh, I see.” It all made sense now.

Afterwards, we checked the rest of my grandfather’s collection.

“They’re all nice works, but none of them have value as antiques,” Holmes said.

I gave a small nod. “That’s what I thought.” My time at Kura had improved my eyes, and I vaguely sensed that the collection at home wouldn’t be worth much.

“That means that you really are amazing, Aoi.”

“Huh?”

“Out of all of these, you picked the Zen priest Hakuin’s hanging scroll to bring to Kura. I was right—you do have an eye for this,” Holmes said earnestly as he organized the collection.

“Th-That was just a fluke. Oh right, we should be heading to Ueda’s shop now, right?” I said, checking the clock on the wall.

“Yes,” Holmes said, nodding and standing up.

4

My mother and brother gave me and Holmes an enthusiastic send-off as we left the house. We headed towards Kitayama Street, which was about a twenty-minute walk away. It would’ve been faster to take public transit, but we decided to walk instead since we’d eaten so many sweets.

When we got close to Kitayama Station, Holmes looked up and remarked, “The roadside trees have lost all of their leaves, but the ones in the botanical garden are still colorful.” He was referring to the Kyoto Botanical Garden.

Led by his words, I looked over too. Even from outside, I could see many colorful trees. “You’re right.”

“Do you often go to the botanical garden, Aoi? It’s near your house,” he asked as we walked.

I shook my head. “No, I’ve never been there.”

“What?” Holmes’s eyes widened in clear surprise, startling me.

“Um, is that weird?”

“It’s more of a shame. You have such a wonderful garden near you and yet you’ve never visited. It’s an enormous, twenty-four-hectare lot filled with plants from all seasons. Beautiful flower beds, Western-style gardens, tropical plant greenhouses, and plenty of facilities, all for the low entrance fee of two hundred yen. Oh, and since you’re in high school, you should be able to get in for one hundred and fifty. It’s the perfect place for a stroll—perhaps if you want a diversion from your thoughts. While I’m at it, the annual pass is only one thousand yen. I buy it every year,” he declared, taking his annual pass out of his wallet to show me.

My face stiffened. Here we go again. I thought he was an ambassador for Kyoto and art, but I guess he’s also interested in facilities like this. Now that I think about it, he does like flowers too.

Two hundred yen (one hundred and fifty for me) or one thousand for the annual pass. That is cheap. It might be nice to take a walk through the flowers. Since it’s twenty-four hectares, it’s bound to be good exercise too.

“How big is twenty-four hectares anyway? I can’t really imagine it.”

“Hmm. People often use Tokyo Dome for scale, so around five of those?”

“To be honest, I can’t really think in terms of Tokyo Dome either. How many tatami mats is that?”

“About a hundred and forty-four thousand.”

“A hundred and...” Nope, no idea.

“At this point, the best way would be to experience it with your own feet.” Holmes chuckled.

“You’re right.” I shrugged.

“Furthermore, the environment here is excellent.” He stopped walking and turned to look back. Near the botanical garden was a concert hall. The street was lined with trees, and there were stylish Western-style cafes and restaurants, variety stores, a church, and a wedding hall. No wonder it’s called a modern and fashionable street. Kitayama Street was very unlike the image most people have of Kyoto. If you showed someone a picture of this area and said it was Kobe, they might even believe you.

“Ueda’s cafe is diagonally across from the botanical garden, between those two streets,” Holmes said as we crossed the street.

“That’s a really good location, right?”

“Yes, it’s quite impressive. Oh, there it is.”

In the row of restaurants, there was one cafe that wasn’t open for business yet. It had a white facade and a fancy sign that said “la cafe kitayama” in lowercase letters. The large window gave a good view of the store interior.

“Wow... This looks like it’ll be popular,” I said.

I could see Ueda giving the staff instructions inside. His face was very stern. He looked like a different person from the Ueda that was all smiles at Kura.

“Ah, as expected, all of the staff he hired are good-looking.”

He was right—they were all beautiful young men. “You’re right. He did a good job recruiting.”

“Yes, Ueda is a man of his word. He has a lot of connections and a nose for a deal. He’s great at his job, but unfortunately, he has no eye for antiques.”

I giggled at how he ended the series of compliments.

We opened the door and said, “Hello, Ueda.”

“Oh, you’re here!” Ueda gave us his usual smile, which made me feel relieved. “Whaddya think of this place?” he asked proudly.

“It’s very nice,” we answered, nodding. The brightly lit cafe was furnished with wooden tables, stylish blackboards, decorative plants, and an open kitchen. It had a lovely, clean feeling.

“The location and atmosphere are both great,” Holmes said. “How about the food?”

“All right, I’ll give you a taste test,” Ueda said. He then shouted at the staff, “Make them a dessert platter for two!” and ushered us to a table.

We sat down. Holmes crossed his legs and said, “The chairs feel good to sit on.”

“Uh huh. It’s important to have enough space between the tables and chairs so you can comfortably cross your legs, right? The reason why I always end up going to Kura is ’cause of the coffee and the comfy seats. I’m trying to copy that here.”

“I see.”

As I was listening to their conversation, impressed, the dessert platter arrived. A variety of cakes, fruit, ice cream, and bite-sized sweets were neatly arranged on the plate. I wasn’t sure if I’d have the stomach for it since we’d eaten so many sweets at home before coming, but one bite told me I didn’t have to worry.

“I-It’s really good! I like how you can have a different flavor with every bite,” I said.

“The coffee is also quite good,” Holmes added.

“Yep,” Ueda said. “Including the drink, the set’s eight hundred yen. You get one coffee refill.”

“That’s all right, I suppose. It’s market price,” Holmes murmured, seeming unsatisfied.

“We’ve got a student discount, though—two hundred off. So, students can have this set for six hundred. Not bad, eh?”

Holmes nodded firmly. “That’s good. DamJo and the prefectural university are nearby, so you’ll be able to get repeat customers through word of mouth. An excellent plan.”

“All right, hearing the word ‘excellent’ from your mouth was all the assurance I needed!” Ueda clapped his hands, looking genuinely happy. The other staff members tilted their heads, confused as to why their strict boss was so excited to hear such a young person’s opinion.

“By the way, what does ‘DamJo’ mean?” I asked. “Jo” means “woman,” so...is there a place where women who like dams gather?

Holmes and Ueda blinked before bursting out in laughter.

“Huh?” Why are they laughing?

“My apologies. I suppose there are still more terms you haven’t encountered yet that only Kansai people understand,” said Holmes.

“Hah, yeah. DamJo refers to Kyoto Notre Dame University,” Ueda continued. It was a famous women’s university.

“O-Oh.”

“While we’re at it, Doshisha Women’s College is abbreviated to DoJo and Kyoto Women’s University is abbreviated to KyoJo,” Holmes explained.

“They’re all popular schools with a good rep,” Ueda added.

“I’ve heard of the schools, but not those abbreviations,” I said. Notre Dame has a great reputation, but calling it “DamJo” makes outsiders like me think of people who like dams.

Then, the door opened quietly and a young woman came in. This store isn’t open yet, so maybe someone came in by mistake?

“Oh hey, here’s a former DamJo. Welcome, Izumi!” Ueda said, standing up.

Holmes and I turned around, surprised. Izumi was there, wearing a light pink coat and a knee-length skirt. She looked at us timidly. Fair skin, a slim figure, wavy shoulder-length hair, large and bright eyes... She really is pretty.

“K-Kiyotaka...” she said, fidgeting nervously.

Holmes said nothing and glanced at Ueda. I could tell that his eyes were asking, “What’s the meaning of this?”

“I happened to run into her the other day in front of the shop,” Ueda said nonchalantly. “She was crying, and when I heard what was wrong, I figured you were the only one who could solve it, Holmes.”

Holmes sighed, exasperated. “Long time no see,” he said, appearing to have regained his composure. He faced her with a flawless smile.

Izumi sat across from him at Ueda’s behest, but she looked down, not making eye contact. “I-It really has been.”

“Did something happen?” Holmes asked gently. For some reason, I felt anxious.

“U-Um...my life depends on this...”

Holmes furrowed his brow. “Your life?”

“I was hoping you could expose something for me, Kiyotaka...”

“Expose? Expose what?”

Izumi fell silent for a moment before lifting her head and looking straight at Holmes. “An alibi...”

“What?” Holmes and I asked in unison.

“I want you to break an alibi for me,” she said with a determined look in her eyes.

Holmes and I inadvertently exchanged glances.

“An...alibi?” he asked, looking back at her with a blank stare. He must not have been expecting that. Break an alibi? Really?

“D-Did you get caught up in some kind of crime?” I asked without thinking.

Izumi hurriedly shook her head and said, “No, it’s not something so terrifying. I just want proof of my fiancé’s cheating.” She clenched her fists and bit her lower lip.

“You mean...that man, right?” Holmes asked.

Right—Holmes and Izumi used to be in a relationship, but when they started university, Izumi got “involved” with a man she met at a mixer, broke up with Holmes, and started going out with that man instead. They’re engaged now, but we know that she’s having second thoughts because of his unfaithfulness.

“To be honest, I ended up breaking off my engagement with him. I got in a fight with my parents, and my dad was really...upset. He was all, ‘You have no eye for men. I’ll find you a good partner so that you won’t make any more mistakes,’ and he went and found someone for me. It was basically a forced marriage meeting... I didn’t want to, but I did feel bad for embarrassing my parents and making them worry, and despite my bluffs, I was exhausted from dealing with my ex. So I figured I didn’t care what happened anymore and went to the meeting...and it turned out that he was a confident guy who manages a business, and he was tall, good-looking, and manly, so...” Izumi trailed off, blushing.

“It sounds like he was a charming man,” Holmes continued for her.

Izumi nodded. “So I thought it wouldn’t be so bad to accept...”

“Congratulations,” Holmes said with a gentle smile.

“Th-Thanks.”

I felt conflicted. How does he feel hearing this from his ex who betrayed him? Can he look at this objectively since he’s gotten over her? Ugh, Ueda’s so insensitive. I glanced at Ueda from the side. He was drinking his coffee and acting like this wasn’t the least bit awkward.

Izumi continued her story, explaining that a couple of weeks ago, she had an engagement party at her family’s house in Matsugasaki. Only relatives and close friends were invited—it wasn’t a formal event, but rather, a party to introduce him to everyone. The party lasted from evening until late at night...

“That night, he stayed in our guest room,” she said. We nodded.

The problem was what happened five days after the party. An unfamiliar woman visited Izumi at her workplace, a local office building where she worked as a receptionist.

“She said, ‘I want to talk to you about him,’ so I spoke with her during my break. She said that she’d been going out with him for a long time, but since he got engaged to me, he broke up with her,” Izumi said, gritting her teeth.

Ueda crossed his arms and hummed. “Doesn’t that mean he sorted things out? I know it ain’t the greatest feeling, but that’s fine, right?”

Izumi looked at Ueda and nodded. “Yes. Of course, as long as it’s in the past, it’s not a problem. But then she said...” She took a deep breath and explained what happened. Apparently the woman had come to pick a fight, saying, “But he loves me more. The day of your engagement party happened to be my birthday, and when I said I really wanted to see him one last time, he came to me and held me passionately. It was at around nine o’clock? I’m glad I managed to finish things on a nice note. Good luck with your loveless marriage!”

Izumi said that her mind went blank and she couldn’t say anything in response. Later, she questioned her fiancé, and he said, “I know her from work, that’s all. She follows me around and it’s annoying. It’s scary that she came up with a delusion like that. Besides, I was with you all day during the party, right?”

We frowned silently at Izumi’s fervent explanation.

“But something came to mind,” she continued. “I’m positive that she was telling the truth.” She clenched her fists. Apparently her fiancé had been drinking since the start of the party, and he told an attendant, “I have a slight headache. I’m going to lie down for a bit, so wake me up in an hour.” He then went into the first-floor drawing room and locked the door.

“One hour later, he came back to the party area. I wasn’t paying close attention to the time, but it does match up with what that woman said.” In other words, he was gone at 9 p.m.

“Are you talking about that room that connects to the yard?” Holmes asked.

Izumi nodded wordlessly.

“Huh, so he sneaked out from there to meet with her and finished the deed in an hour. Now that’s a hustler,” Ueda said with a bitter smile.

“Indeed.” Holmes nodded.

“But when I told him that, he laughed and said, ‘I’ve accompanied her home for work-related reasons. She lives in Momoyama, you know? There’s no way I could’ve gone there and back within an hour’...” Izumi cast her eyes down, looking pensive. Apparently she didn’t believe him, so she did some research and found out that the woman really did live in Momoyama. “I still couldn’t trust him, so I asked a friend to ask her coworkers, and someone testified that they really were dating. I only met with my dad’s choice because I was sick of cheating men in the first place... I don’t want to marry a man who’d sneak out of his engagement party to have relations with someone else. There must be a way to go from Matsugasaki to Momoyama and back within an hour. Please, Kiyotaka, will you prove that and break his alibi for me?” Izumi leaned forward, teary-eyed and trembling.

“A round trip between Matsugasaki and Momoyama, after 9 p.m.?”

“I’ve got a map,” Ueda said. He took a map out from behind the counter and spread it out on the table.

“I don’t know if you still remember, but my house is here,” Izumi said, pointing at a location slightly north of Kitayama Street.

“Of course I remember. Now, since he was drinking, he couldn’t have driven there himself. Therefore, he either took a taxi or went by public transit. Your house isn’t close to either Matsugasaki Station or Shugakuin Station,” Holmes said to himself, checking the map.

“Taxi, then,” Ueda said. “That road’s chaos, so it’d be tough to get there and back in an hour. Plus, he’d only get one shot at it.”

Izumi and I cringed at his vulgar implication.

“Regardless of what may or may not have happened, the trip would be difficult by car. No matter how empty the roads are, I’m not sure if he’d be able to get there and back in an hour. There’s also the chance of traffic jams. So, as for public transit, if he went from Matsugasaki Station, it’d take about twenty minutes to get to Kyoto Station. From there, he’d go to Momoyama by train or taxi... One hour certainly does seem unlikely.”

“Yeah.” Ueda nodded.

Holmes put his finger down on the map. “Even if he took the Eizan Line from Shugakuin Station to Demachiyanagi and transferred to the Keihan Line from there, it’d still be hard.”

As someone who wasn’t familiar with the area, I couldn’t really get it. “U-Um, what about by bike?” I asked hesitantly.

Holmes folded his arms. “Drunk cycling is also illegal, but I did consider that. It’s a little more than ten kilometers from Matsugasaki to Momoyama. I’ve heard that a professional cyclist can travel at an average speed of thirty kilometers per hour on a designated cycling path on a road bike. In that case, it would take twenty minutes. However, this is in the case of a professional, assuming no red lights and flat ground. Even if he’s a good cyclist, when there are traffic lights and hills involved, I can’t imagine it taking much less than forty minutes. It’s not easy.”

“What about a motorcycle then?” Ueda asked. “He could’ve ridden behind someone. Or what if he was only pretending to drink, and he was actually sober? He could’ve zoomed over on his own bike.”

“Yes, a motorcycle would be the fastest way. However, I still think it’d take thirty minutes one way.”

We all crossed our arms and contemplated.

“Umm, what if he went down the river?” I said, looking at Takano River on the map.

Ueda burst out laughing. “He’d stick out like a sore thumb. Can’t have that happening when you’re trying to be sneaky.”

Izumi covered her mouth with her hand and giggled too.

I blushed. “Y-You’re right. That was a silly idea.”

“No, I think it’s an interesting concept,” Holmes said. “The elevation change might make it difficult, but he could’ve taken a small boat or canoe from the Takano River to the Kamo River. Then, he could go to Momoyama by bicycle or whatnot. Going there would be fast, but returning would be difficult. Plus, the birthday call was sudden, so I don’t think he would’ve made those preparations in advance,” Holmes explained calmly. I appreciated that he took my idea seriously.

“It really is impossible, then?” Izumi asked, slumping her shoulders. From her face, it looked like she was still unconvinced of her fiancé’s innocence. She must’ve been absolutely sure the accusation was true, even if it didn’t make logical sense.

“Yeah, the guy left his own engagement party for an hour, going from Matsugasaki to Momoyama? Breaking that alibi’s no easy task. Maybe he went by helicopter?” Ueda scratched his head and sighed. Then, he suddenly leaned forward, as if he’d just thought of something. “Hey, are you sure he went to her house? Couldn’t they have met up at a hotel nearby?”

I frowned. “What good would it have done the woman to lie about that? It would’ve made more sense coming from him.”

“I guess so, yeah.” Ueda nodded.

Holmes looked at Izumi with a faint smile. “Besides, Izumi herself is confident that he went to her place. Did you see something that convinced you...?”

Izumi flinched. “What do you mean?”

“I suspect that you saw something she posted online.”

Ueda and I nodded in understanding.

Izumi averted her eyes, a strained expression on her face. “You really are smart,” she mumbled.

Holmes said nothing, patiently awaiting her next words.

“Like you said, after she told me all that, I found out her name from the business card she gave me and looked up her social media. Since he’s an attractive man, I thought she might’ve just been jealous, so I wanted to make sure.”

I was a bit impressed that she hadn’t immediately lost her cool and blamed him.

“Then, I found this post...” She took out her smartphone, tapped a few buttons, and—albeit hesitantly—showed us a webpage.

We gulped and looked at the screen. At the top of the page was a selfie of a woman who was forcing a smile on her tear-streaked face. Also in the picture were a small couch with cushions and a small table. The table had a glass and two empty bottles of wine on it. It was clearly a single woman’s cramped apartment.

The title said: “It’s my 20^th birthday. Today my love comes to an end.”

The post continued:

He suddenly broke up with me last month. Apparently, he has to marry the daughter of someone his dad’s indebted to. That woman looks nice, but she’s a horrible person! She was engaged to someone else, but the moment she laid eyes on my boyfriend, she dumped her fiancé and asked her dad to do the marriage talks. But when my boyfriend heard about their family’s circumstances, he couldn’t turn her down.

I said I wanted to at least spend my birthday with him, but he said the engagement party was going to be that day. So, I sucked it up and drank at home instead, but I really couldn’t take it anymore, and begged him to come see me while crying. Then, he actually left the engagement party and came! I was so happy. It means that I’M the love of his life.

Now he’s going to be forced into a loveless marriage. It sucks, but I’m going to turn all of the memories he’s given me into my precious treasures and move on. I’m writing this post right after he left, still crying.

So, I’m single now. Thanks for reading, everyone!

We were lost for words.

Izumi’s hands trembled. “I-I can’t forgive him. How could this be?!” Tears streamed down her face.

“But this doesn’t match up with his story,” Ueda said.

“That’s the problem! I told him that if he really didn’t want to marry me, I’d call it off. I said I didn’t know how much money his parents owed my dad, but I’d ask him to reconsider! But he said, ‘Don’t be stupid. This person’s just delusional. I love you regardless of the circumstances,’ and, ‘First of all, I’ve never been in her apartment.’”

“Um, are you sure this was posted on the same date as your engagement party?” I asked, looking at the post again.

Izumi nodded. The timestamp was 9:32 p.m. If it was posted after he left, then it would’ve been around that time.

Holmes silently tapped the image. All it said for the location was “Kyoto,” so we couldn’t get anything more specific from that.

“I finally get it now,” Ueda said, nodding and folding his arms. “So that’s why you wanna break his alibi. You can’t trust him at all now. That’s gotta be rough.”

Another tear ran down Izumi’s face. Even though it was an arranged marriage, she was heartbroken from her ex, so she must’ve been attracted to this new man. She must’ve believed that he would be different. That’s why it was even harder for her to accept his betrayal. She needed to know the truth.

“But why would this person write all of this in public?” I murmured. “Is this her way of harassing you?”

“No, this was written for her friends,” Holmes quickly answered.

“Her friends?”

“She most likely bragged to her friends about her amazing boyfriend, so it’d be embarrassing to be dumped. Her excuse is that ‘We love each other so much, but we were forced to break up.’ She’s trying to garner sympathy.”

H-He’s as sharp as ever.

“This post is biased in her favor, but I think he really may have visited her place on the night of the party,” Holmes said, still looking at the screen.

“What, so we’re back where we started? Guess it’s the helicopter?” Ueda slumped his shoulders.

“No, he wouldn’t have flown in a helicopter.”

“I know, but then how?”

“I’ve come up with a theory.” Holmes looked up.

“Huh?” We were all surprised.

“Izumi,” he said.

“Y-Yes?”

“This is heading past the realm of ‘suspicion.’ Are you prepared to learn the truth? Sometimes it’s necessary to turn a blind eye.” A tense moment of silence passed.

“I came here because I can’t turn a blind eye anymore,” Izumi said with a determined look.

Holmes nodded, satisfied. “All right then. In that case, look into what I’m about to tell you. It’s going to be important evidence.”

“O-Okay.”

“Contact me when you’re done. I’ll explain the rest then.” He smiled.

“Okay.” Izumi nodded firmly, tears in her eyes.

After she left, Ueda heaved a deep sigh. “You’re a nice guy, Holmes. See, I happened to run into her right outside this shop the other day. I was like, ‘Hey there, Izumi, long time no see,’ and the moment she saw me, she started crying and went, ‘Please help me, Mister. I don’t have anyone I can turn to.’ She really looked like she was gonna die, so I said I’d ask you. I bet you didn’t wanna give your ex a hand, though.”

Holmes clasped his hands together. “It’s fine. It’s all in the past.”

“You say that, but you’re mad, right?”

“Well, it’s not so bad when I think of it as another debt you owe me.” He grinned.

“Ugh, that’s a scary thought.” Ueda slumped his shoulders.

Still, breaking her fiancé’s alibi... Even if the truth is revealed, it might leave a bad aftertaste. I sighed, feeling uneasy.

“Aoi, this isn’t something you have to worry about,” Holmes said quietly as he folded the map.

“Y-You’re right.” My worrying isn’t going to help.

5

Ten days later, it was Christmas Eve. The ancient city of Kyoto was no different from anywhere else with its flashy decorations. Department stores had Christmas displays and you could hear Christmas songs playing as you walked down the streets.

While everyone else was making merry, it was winter break for me, and I didn’t have anyone to hang out with. So, I was at Kura cleaning as usual. I looked out the window and sighed. Is it because of my ailing heart that the couples passing by look more intimate than usual? There’s nothing more depressing than a seventeen year old having no plans for Christmas Eve. Just when I thought I’d hang out with Kaori, she said, “I’m going to Kyocera Dome to see a Christmas idol concert!” and left for Osaka.

I was originally scheduled to work at Kura this week anyway, and I figured I wouldn’t be lonely because Holmes—who was also single—was bound to be here too. If only it was that easy. I was the only one in the store. Holmes went to help with the cafe in Kitayama starting on the twentieth, and today was his fourth and final day there. The manager was also busy with publisher meetings and interviews, so I was left to tend to the store by myself. With Holmes gone, most of the shifts went to me. I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad about that. That’s also why I still haven’t been able to go to the cafe to see Holmes working.

But, just for today, the manager’s working on his manuscript at the store counter, so I’m allowed to leave early. He’s away at a meeting with his editor right now. When will he be back? I anxiously peeked outside the window.

At long last, the door chime rang, signaling the manager’s entrance. “Sorry I took so long, Aoi,” he apologized.

“It’s okay.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry I have to leave early.”

“Don’t be—we’ve been relying on you so much these days. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Eve,” he said, taking off his coat and hanging it up.

“Th-Thank you.” I don’t have any plans for a wonderful Christmas Eve, but I can at least go to a fancy cafe in Kitayama, watch Holmes work, and eat delicious sweets... I answered in my head.

I watched the manager sit down and decided to make coffee before leaving. As I went into the kitchenette, the manager took his manuscript out of his bag and picked up his pen. He had a calm, mature aura. He wasn’t as eye-catching as Holmes, but he had an adult’s subdued elegance. I thought it was very nice. It’s only natural for there to be women who admire this author, I thought as I placed the cup of coffee on the counter and said, “Here you go.”

“Oh, you surprised me. I thought you were getting ready to leave. Thank you, Aoi. You’re very thoughtful.”

“N-No, not at all. Also, please accept this, if you’d like.” I held out a wrapped bag.

“What’s this?” The manager blinked and accepted the bag.

“They’re cookies. Since it’s Christmas, I baked them as thanks. Please eat them when you’re taking a break from work.”

“Why, thank you very much.” His face wrinkled as he gave a big smile, making me feel happy too. “I’ll work hard then, since you went to the trouble of making coffee and cookies for me. Take care, Aoi.”

“You too. Have a nice day.” I bowed and went to leave.

“Oh, Aoi!” he called out. I turned around. “Merry Christmas,” he said, somewhat bashfully.

I smiled. “Thanks. Merry Christmas, Manager,” I replied, feeling embarrassed too. I bowed again.

6

I got on my bicycle and sped off to Kitayama Street. The freezing winter wind stung my face, but since I was pedaling with all my might, I didn’t actually feel cold. I reached Kitayama Street and spotted the “la cafe kitayama” sign. Despite the cold weather, there was a line of girls outside waiting to get in. A security guard—presumably a temporary hire—was shouting, “Don’t crowd around! Please form a single file line.”

W-Wow! It’s this popular? I got off my bicycle and slowly walked it in front of the store. Through the glass window, I could see Holmes and the other attractive men wearing black vests and waist aprons. The cafe was completely packed.

The girls lined up outside were peeking inside and squealing:

“Ahh, they’re all so cool!”

“Today’s that guy’s last day, right? That sucks.”

“I’m gonna give him my number!”

The young women chattered happily, holding cute cards that I assumed had their contact info on them. The line was getting even longer. Behind the large window, many women were looking passionately at Holmes. As I expected, he was carrying trays of desserts with a gentle smile.

For some reason, I suddenly felt really sad. He looked like a different person from the Holmes at Kura.

...I should go home. I’ve already eaten the desserts here, and I got to see Holmes as a waiter, so that’s good enough. I tightened my grip on the handlebars and turned back the way I came. I walked slowly, putting the girls’ high-pitched squealing behind me. Suddenly, it felt like their voices became even louder.

“Aoi,” came Holmes’s voice from behind me. Surprised, I turned around. It was clearly him. I was so shocked that he came outside for me that I couldn’t form any words. The girls who were waiting outside stiffened up too, seemingly surprised.

“You came to visit, right?” he asked. “Are you leaving already?”

“Oh, yeah. It’s really busy, so...” I shrugged awkwardly.

“Yes, Ueda did a fine job.” He looked at the lineup and the packed interior and smiled softly.

Um, it’s because of you and the other hot employees, right? Although I guess that could be attributed to Ueda as well.

“I’m glad I noticed you,” he said. My heart skipped a beat. He was giving off a different sweet scent than usual, and it was making me dizzy. “I was actually just about to call you. Could you come back after closing? Sorry, I know it’s a bit late.” The cafe closes at 8 p.m.

“Huh? Why?”

Holmes bent down to whisper in my ear: “Izumi contacted me. She’s going to come to this cafe with her fiancé after closing time. You’re welcome to come too, since you already know everything.”

It’s finally going to be settled! I thought, when suddenly, the air was filled with high-pitched squeals that almost sounded like shrieks.

“Huh?” Holmes and I both looked up, surprised. Apparently everyone had assumed Holmes was whispering sweet nothings in my ear. Their stares were so passionate that I couldn’t face them out of shame.

“O-Okay, I’ll come back then!” I said. “Good luck with the rest of your work!” I waved and got on my bicycle, eager to get away. My heart pounded as I pedaled, but the sad feeling had been completely swept away.

7

I returned to the cafe in Kitayama at 8 p.m.

It’s finally time. I sat at a window seat with my hands balled up in front of my chest. Holmes was sitting across from me. Ueda was sitting at the counter, resting his chin in his hands. It was already completely dark outside. Kitayama Street’s brightly lit rows of stores and Christmas lights shone beautifully. In contrast to the dazzling scenery, my heart felt heavy. What if it turns into a big fight? I sighed.

Holmes put on a strained smile and looked apologetic. “I’m sorry for making you tag along for this.”

“Don’t be. I wanted to know the truth, and I’m glad I can be here. I’m just afraid that there’ll be a fight...”

“It’ll be fine.” Holmes gave me a gentle look.

I immediately felt at ease. “Okay.” It’s strange, but whenever Holmes says it’ll be fine, I can relax knowing that it will be fine. It’s because despite everything that’s happened, Holmes has always saved me.

At around 8:05 p.m., the cafe door opened quietly. “G-Good evening,” said Izumi as she came in. “I’m sorry for all of the trouble I’ve put you through.” She bowed.

We stood up and bowed back. It’d only been ten days since she came here, but she looked exhausted. The anxiety must’ve been killing her.

“It’s fine. Where’s your fiancé?” Holmes replied.

“I think he’ll be here soon.”

Her words made me nervous again.

“Shall we sit down and wait, then?” Holmes said.

Izumi suddenly became stiff and her eyes widened. Confused, I turned around and saw a man in a suit outside. He smiled when he saw Izumi. This is her fiancé. He was probably in his thirties. He wore glasses and had broad shoulders. At first glance, he had the air of an elite businessman. He certainly seemed like a great person, with his well-kempt good looks. His aesthetic is similar to Holmes—maybe Izumi is into elegant guys.

The man opened the door and said gently, “Izumi.”

“T-Tachibana...” Izumi blushed slightly and looked down. She’s clearly a maiden in love. Even though she wanted to break his alibi, it was clear that she was head over heels for him.

“Who’s this?” Tachibana shifted his gaze to Holmes. They were about the same height, and Tachibana looked sharply at him.

“Hello, my name is Kiyotaka Yagashira.” Holmes smiled gently in the face of Tachibana’s blatant suspicion.

“I’m Aoi Mashiro.” I bowed.

“He’s, um, Seiji Yagashira’s grandson...” Izumi said.

“Oh!” Tachibana exclaimed, probably recognizing the name. “I’ve heard about you. A smart guy called the ‘Holmes of Kyoto,’ right?” He smiled and offered a handshake.

“No, I’m only called ‘Holmes’ because of my surname. It’s rather embarrassing.” Holmes gave his usual response and shook Tachibana’s hand.

Wow, Holmes’s reputation is spreading.

“By the way, the person who’s brazenly spreading these stories about me is my grandfather,” Holmes said quietly, suddenly reading my mind. It seemed like he wanted to brush it off as the work of an over-affectionate grandfather, so I quickly shut my mouth.

“So, do you need something from me, Yagashira?” Tachibana asked calmly. There was a hint of pressure in his voice.

“Yes, Izumi asked me for some advice. I’ll explain everything in detail, so please take a seat.”

We sat down and Ueda brought us coffee.

“Is this about the engagement party?” Tachibana said in an amused tone. It was as if he was thinking, “This again?”

Izumi continued to look down, not saying anything.

“Izumi and I have already discussed it, and I believe she was satisfied with my explanation,” Tachibana continued, looking at Izumi beside him.

Izumi trembled and bit her lip with a pained expression.

“She asked me for help because she wasn’t satisfied,” Holmes said sternly.

“How do you two know each other?” Tachibana asked, glaring at him.

“Well...we went to the same high school.”

Obviously he can’t say he’s her ex-boyfriend. He didn’t lie though.

Tachibana seemed thrown off for a second before regaining his composure and raising the corners of his mouth in a smile. “I see. Of course you’d want to help such a beautiful former classmate.” He smiled wryly, his suspicions apparently growing.

It’s good that he cares about Izumi that much, but at this rate, they won’t be able to have a calm discussion.

Holmes seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he sighed and declared, “No, that’s not why I accepted her request.”

Tachibana frowned.

“I’m engaged too,” Holmes said, placing his arm around my shoulder and drawing me closer with a smile.

E-Engaged? I was taken aback, but I quickly realized that he was lying to make Tachibana lower his guard. I nodded stiffly.

“Oh, you two are engaged?” Tachibana murmured, seeming thrown off again.

Holmes nodded firmly. “Yes, so I couldn’t overlook Izumi’s concerns.”

I was too embarrassed to say anything—I could only blush furiously.

Tachibana finally seemed to let down his guard. A gentle smile rose to his face. “A rather early decision, considering your age.”

“I would prefer if you called it an excellent decision.”

“G-Geez, Holmes.” I tugged at his sleeve. Even if it was an act—no, because it was an act—it was too embarrassing for me to handle.

Tachibana laughed and said, “You make a great couple. I’m kind of jealous. I want to be like that with Izumi.”

Izumi’s cheeks flushed pink. I felt the tense atmosphere let up.

“Now then...” Holmes folded his hands on the table. “Could you tell me about the day of the engagement party again?”

“Sure. I visited her house in the evening, enjoyed the party until late at night, and slept there that night,” Tachibana answered smoothly.

“During the party, you felt unwell and left for an hour to rest in another room, right?”

“Yes. I was excited and drank too much. However, since the party was for us, I wanted to take a short nap and come back. I asked an attendant to wake me up in an hour.”

“It was the drawing room at the back of the first floor, right?”

“Yes. I slept on the big sofa there.”

“I heard that you locked the door.”

Tachibana’s eyebrows twitched. He smiled gently and said, “Yes. There were young children at the party, so I didn’t want them to come in and bother me.”

“And then after an hour, the attendant knocked on the door and you woke up.”

“Yes.” He nodded as if the answer was obvious.

Holmes nodded too. “However, the problem came five days later. Someone claiming to be your ex-girlfriend visited Izumi and said that you slipped out of the engagement party, went to her house, and ‘held her tightly.’”

“Yes, I heard about that from Izumi. I’m so sorry that she had to go through that. That woman is someone I met through work. I knew she liked me, but I didn’t think she had delusions like that.” He had a grim look on his face.

“According to that woman, she knew that your engagement party was on that day. Did you tell her that?”

“No. I told my coworkers, but not her. She must’ve heard it from someone.” Tachibana shrugged.

“But it would appear that Izumi couldn’t shake her suspicions. She asked a friend to ask around at the woman’s company, and someone testified that you and she were dating.”

“I hate to say this, but that’s the result of her delusions.”

“What about the social media post she wrote under her real name?”

“I saw it, but she never said my name, right? It wasn’t about me. Even if she was talking about me, that would also be one of her crazy delusions.”

“You can’t use delusions as an excuse for everything. It could be that you led her to believe this. Are you sure you didn’t slip out of the drawing room to visit her during that hour when you were ‘resting’?” Holmes asked in a sharp tone.

Tachibana chuckled and shrugged. “Sure, I might’ve carelessly done things to make her misunderstand our relationship. But—and I told Izumi this too—she lives in Momoyama. How would I be able to get from Matsugasaki to Momoyama and back within an hour? That’s more proof that she’s deluded,” he declared with a smile.

Holmes looked him in the eye and said, “In that case, will you listen to my theory? Remember, this is only my ‘delusion.’ I’d appreciate it if you’d listen until the end without interrupting.”

Tachibana narrowed his eyes for a moment. Then he nodded firmly and said, “Go ahead.”

“Let’s say that you and that woman were indeed in a relationship,” Holmes began.

Tachibana looked like he wanted to object, but instead he silently crossed his arms. Next to him, Izumi was still looking down.

“However,” Holmes continued, “you did not consider her someone who could become your lifelong partner. At the very least, she was unimportant enough that you’d prioritize an arranged marriage from your parents. Perhaps you were already looking for the right time to break up with her. You surely would’ve phrased it in a tragic way like, ‘I can’t go against my parents’ will.’ You could’ve also hinted at a nonexistent debt. For a woman at the age where she’s seriously considering marriage, a man in debt is undesirable no matter how attractive he is. So, she would’ve backed down without a fuss.

“But then, she decided that she wanted one last memory with you. She asked you to spend her birthday with her, but by some strange coincidence, the engagement party was on that day—or perhaps it was you who selected that date in the first place. As a result, you wouldn’t be able to spend time with her on her birthday.”

It felt like Holmes was painting a scene with his words.

“On her birthday, she was drinking wine by herself in her room. She emptied at least two bottles, judging from the picture she took. Even though she’d accepted the breakup, the alcohol took its toll on her self-restraint, and she contacted you. I don’t know whether it was by phone or text message, but I think that whatever she said made you panic. It was likely along the lines of, ‘If you don’t come see me right now, I’m going to crash your engagement party.’ That’s what shook you up enough to rush to see her.”

We gulped.

“This raises one question: why did you give in to her threat so easily? Drunk as she may have been, would a grown adult living in Momoyama really look up Izumi’s address and come all the way to Matsugasaki to show up at her house? Even if she tried, she probably would’ve sobered up before she got there and changed her mind. Were you afraid because she was at a distance where she could easily show up if she wanted to?

“In other words, we can assume that her house was nearby. Izumi’s house is a large mansion that everyone in the neighborhood knows. If that woman lived near Kitayama Street too, then she would’ve known that Izumi lived there. In that case, it really would be possible that she’d show up in a drunken stupor.”

I held my breath as I looked at Tachibana, who had an incredibly cold expression on his face.

“So, you sneaked out of the house. Since the drawing room connects to the yard, there would’ve been sandals there—or perhaps you secretly brought your shoes with you to begin with. Either way, you headed directly to her place.”

Oh, so he would’ve been able to go outside without passing by the front door.

“However, even if you went to see her, there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t cause trouble in the future again. She lived so close by, after all. Concerned, you stopped by a nearby convenience store first and withdrew money from the ATM. This was your ‘settlement money.’ You were going to have her move out of the neighborhood.”

Tachibana gritted his teeth.

“Then you went to her place. She must’ve been very happy that you showed up, right? She was moved to tears, and you hugged her tightly and apologized. You repeated that there was nothing you could do about the situation, handed her the settlement, and said, ‘Sorry, but I want you to use this to move somewhere else.’ Even if she was reluctant, she wasn’t about to turn down a large sum of money for something that was already over anyway. Since you’re so thorough, you might’ve also made her sign a pledge upon receiving the settlement.”

Tachibana glared at Holmes, keeping his mouth tightly shut.

“By the way, when the woman visited Izumi, she apparently said you ‘held her tightly,’ and I believe that’s really all it was—a tight hug. If you really went further and she wanted to provoke Izumi, I feel that she would’ve used more explicit language.”

Tachibana quickly looked down. Meanwhile, Izumi blushed, teary-eyed. She seemed relieved.

“Afterwards, the woman followed your instructions and moved to Momoyama. Since she lives by herself, moving wasn’t such a big deal. When she was done moving, she thought about the situation and decided to have one last word with the one who ruined your future...and that’s when she paid Izumi a visit.

“In conclusion, your alibi was entirely based on word manipulation. You convinced Izumi that meeting the woman would be impossible because she lived in Momoyama. However, you never had to go to Momoyama because at the time, she actually lived nearby. An hour would’ve been plenty of time. Well, that’s my theory.”

After Holmes finished his explanation, Tachibana stayed silent for a moment before uncrossing his arms and saying, “Ha! You have quite the imagination too, I see. I’m impressed.” His laughter sounded fake.

“It’s not my imagination. Izumi found proof that the woman recently moved—she used to live by herself in the Kitayama area. Didn’t you say that you’d accompanied her home to Momoyama before?” Holmes leaned forward a bit.

Tachibana smiled and nodded. “Yes, I did say that. She used to live in Kitayama until recently? I didn’t know that. When I accompanied her home, it was to her parents’ house in Momoyama,” he said, unperturbed.

Holmes chuckled. “I see—you’re thorough. Is that why you had her move to Momoyama?”

I could see the sparks flying between them as they smiled at each other. It felt like a battle between geniuses.

“So,” Holmes continued, “are you saying that you never once left Izumi’s house on the night of the engagement party?”

Tachibana slumped his shoulders. “To be honest, I really wanted to get some fresh air to sober up, so I slipped outside to go to the convenience store.”

“I see.” Holmes smiled, amused. He’d instructed Izumi to get testimony from the convenience store staff. Apparently one of the part-timers recalled a man in a suit entering the empty convenience store at that time and spending a long time at the ATM. Tachibana must’ve realized that they’d discovered that and answered accordingly. He’s prepared to see this lie through to the end.

“Well, what do you think, Izumi?” Holmes looked at her, exasperated.

Izumi was still looking down. “I-I...” She clenched her fists. Maybe she was attracted to her fiancé’s stubborn side too. That’s why she couldn’t express a strong opinion—but she definitely couldn’t accept his excuse either.

Tachibana looked up and said for good measure, “In the unlikely event that your theory was right, it’s all over.”

Right... It really might all be over. But...

“I-I can’t let this slide!” I exclaimed without thinking. Everyone looked at me in surprise. “Y-You’re not honest to Izumi or your ex-girlfriend at all! Even a complete stranger like me can tell that you’re lying. Izumi knows you’re lying too, which is why she’s in such pain and uncertainty. Even if you love her, if you keep lying to her, she’ll never be able to trust you. Everything you say will sound like a lie. She can’t marry someone like that! Even if you did something bad, even if it’s going to hurt her, she wants to know the truth. It doesn’t matter how nice your words are if they’re fake. If you really love Izumi, please tell her the truth!” Tears streamed down my face as I spoke. I knew how Izumi felt, and it pained me. She didn’t want to continue being deceived like this. No matter how much it hurts, they won’t be able to move forward unless he tells the truth.

I panted to catch my breath and realized what I’d just done. “S-Sorry, this is none of my business...” I hurriedly bowed.

Izumi shook her head lightly, crying. “A-Aoi, thank you for expressing my feelings in my stead. Tachibana, please call off the engagement,” she declared.

Tachibana’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected that.

“I felt mysteriously drawn to you from the moment we met,” Izumi said. “I thought it was fate, embarrassingly enough. But if you still won’t tell the truth, then it’s over. As Aoi said, I can’t spend my life with someone I can’t trust. I’m sure I’ll be disowned this time, but I don’t want to be lied to.” Tears ran down her face as she spoke.

“Izumi...” Tachibana was taken aback.

The cafe was shrouded in silence for some time.

“His theory...was mostly correct,” Tachibana finally mumbled. We looked at him without saying a word. “I was in a relationship with her, but I wasn’t considering marriage. When she kept hinting at it, I decided it was the right time. I was overjoyed when the marriage talks with you came up, Izumi.”

Izumi looked at him, confused. “Overjoyed?”

“Yes, overjoyed. I’m sure you never noticed that I’d always admired you whenever I saw you. I was shocked when I heard about your previous engagement. However, that engagement was called off and the reason was his cheating. I realized that despite your gracefulness, you also had a backbone.

“When the marriage was suggested, I accepted in a heartbeat. I felt like the luckiest man in the world... So I had to sort out my relationships. When I broke up with my girlfriend, she nearly went insane. Of course she would, since it came out of nowhere. She was sure that we were going to get married.” He heaved a sigh. “That’s why I lied and said that my parents owed yours a lot of money. I’d become the guarantor, and that’s where the marriage talks came from. Basically, if I declined, then I’d be in a lot of debt. That was my final bet. If she said, ‘I don’t care. Let’s pay back the money together,’ then I’d reconsider. I really had a feeling that she cared more about my salary and position than me, though... Marriage is a life-changing decision, so I was testing her. In the end, she immediately turned around and broke up with me.”

So that’s how it was.

“After that, it all went the way Yagashira said,” Tachibana said, sighing again. “Izumi called off her last engagement because of her ex’s cheating, so I thought she’d leave right away if the same thing came up with me. That’s why I tried so hard to lie... I didn’t want to let go of you. I’m truly sorry.” He bowed deeply at Izumi.

“Tachibana...” Izumi stared at him, wide-eyed and trembling. Her large eyes were wet with tears.

Holmes chuckled. “Aoi, let’s take our leave.” He stood up.

“Huh?” I was bewildered for a moment, but I quickly nodded and stood up as well. The rest is for them to figure out.

8

I checked the time right after we left the cafe. It was 9 p.m... An hour had passed. The intense conversation had made it feel like a lot longer.

Holmes and I walked casually down Kitayama Street. We passed by a chapel where hymns were being sung. The sign in front of the open doors said, “Everyone is welcome.” Attracted by the Christmas lights and the beautiful singing, we entered the church courtyard and sat down on an unoccupied bench.

“I’m sorry for what I said earlier, Aoi,” Holmes said.

“Huh?”

“I pretended that we were engaged.”

“Oh, it’s okay. Thanks to that, Tachibana’s suspicions were cleared and you were able to get to the main point.”

“Your eyes were terrifying when you looked at me. I thought I’d offended you.”

“Wh-What? I was just surprised.” Were my eyes that scary?

“That’s a relief then.” He smiled, making me blush.

We sat on the bench and looked at the Christmas lights in the courtyard. Families and couples passed by us, looking like they were having fun. The church’s cross shined vividly under the bright moon.

I watched my white breath melt into the air and murmured, “I wonder how it went between Izumi and Tachibana.”

“That’s a good question,” Holmes said. “In the end, he was sorting out his business before marriage, and they both love each other. After a storm comes a calm. I’m sure that having this major conflict before getting married will make their relationship stronger.”

“Oh, I see. It’s good that she was able to express her dislike of stubborn lies before they got married.” I nodded.

Holmes ran his hand through his hair as though he was troubled. “Sorry, Aoi. I lied about one thing.”

“Huh?”

“Or rather, there was a suspicion I had that I couldn’t be honest about.”

“What do you mean?”

“I said that when he snuck out of the party to go to her house, he only hugged her, right?”

“Oh, yeah.” He said that if they went further, she would’ve used more explicit wording.

“I don’t think that’s true.”

“Wh-What?” I squeaked.

“If he was going to play the role of an ex-lover who’d sneak out of his engagement party to meet her on her birthday and tearfully act like they had no choice but to break up, then she would’ve asked for ‘one last time.’ So long as he’s pretending he still loves her, he can’t outright refuse. He would’ve said ‘This is really the last time’ and did it.”

“B-But that’s just your assumption, right?” I didn’t want it to be true.

Holmes chuckled. “You’re a girl, so you don’t understand a man’s instinct.”

“Huh?”

“Why was Tachibana so desperate to cover up the truth? It’s because he did something wrong that night. Also, when I suggested that they didn’t go further, he looked down for a moment and clenched his fists as if he was relieved.”

“Wh-Why didn’t you say that?”

“As you said, when someone lies to cover up the truth, you can’t trust them anymore. But I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell the truth about everything. Besides, this is ultimately only my hypothesis—I have no proof. It’s possible that what I said was true. Perhaps they only hugged. I didn’t think it was necessary to make them feel more uncomfortable if I wasn’t completely sure.”

“Y-You have a point.”

“Most of all, I figured out how he felt...”

“You mean Tachibana?”

“Yes. Men are foolish beings. When they make a mistake and they’re desperate not to lose the person they love, they try to cover it up with a lie. I could tell how afraid he was of losing Izumi, so I ended up giving him a way out,” he said, looking up at the night sky.

“Didn’t you feel conflicted, Holmes?” I asked, concerned.

He shook his head. “No, it really was over. If anything, I feel better now.” There wasn’t a hint of uncertainty in his smile.

“Thank goodness.” I felt truly relieved.

“Thank you for your concern. Oh right, your speech was brilliant, Aoi. I realized again how sincere you are.”

“I-I wouldn’t call it a speech, and it wasn’t brilliant. I just really empathized with Izumi, so I couldn’t stay quiet...”

“I see. You really are sensitive.”

“Sensitive?”

“Yes, I think you’re very sensitive to people’s feelings.”

“A-Am I?” I tilted my head, feeling uncertain.

Holmes stared at the Christmas lights with a faraway look in his eyes. He seemed lonesome for some reason, and it made my chest feel tight.

“You said that men are foolish... Does that mean you are too?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m a fool...and a coward,” he said calmly.

A coward? He doesn’t seem that way to me. I stared at the side of his face.

Suddenly, he looked up and said, “Oh right.”

“What?”

“Today’s Christmas Eve, right?”

“Yes.” I nodded.

Holmes put his hand in his coat pocket and took out something that looked like a card. “It’s not much, but this is a Christmas present for you.”

“W-Wow, thank you. What is it?” I excitedly opened it and found cards that said “Botanical Garden Annual Pass” and “Kyoto City Museum of Art Associate.” Umm, what are these?

“An annual pass for the botanical garden we were talking about before, and an associate card for the Kyoto City Museum of Art.”

“What’s an associate card?”

“It’s a must-have for appreciators of the fine arts,” Holmes declared. He explained that it allowed you to see various exhibitions at the Kyoto City Museum of Art for free or at a discount. It also came with extra perks like being able to attend events for free. He said to go to their website for more details.

Seeing his eyes light up as he excitedly explained the card to me, I couldn’t help but smile, despite being a bit overwhelmed. This present is so like him. I giggled.

“Did I say something funny?”

“N-No, I just thought the present was so like you. Thank you very much. I’ll make good use of these.”

“Yes, please do. I should’ve gotten you something better, but I was afraid you’d be reluctant to accept.”

“O-Of course not.” Then again, I’ve already received too much from him. It’s true that I might’ve felt bad if he gave me anything more expensive. “Oh right, um, it’s not much, but I also have something...” I remembered that I’d brought cookies for him too, and hurriedly took the gift-wrapped bag out of my purse.

“Huh?” His eyes widened in surprise.

“I’m good at baking cookies, or, well, I like doing it. It’s not much of a Christmas present, but would you accept these?” I held out the bag.

Holmes stared at it for a while without saying anything.

I suddenly felt awkward. “Y-You’ve done so much for me. I guess homemade cookies aren’t much of a gift in comparison. Sorry.” Honestly, I’d wanted to give him something better too, but I didn’t know what to get him. In the end, I decided that making my best cookies would be better than giving him an unimaginative present.

“N-No, I’m glad. Thank you very much.” He gingerly accepted the bag of cookies and murmured to himself, “This is a lot to take in.”

“Huh?” What did he mean by that? Did he misunderstand because they’re homemade cookies? Maybe he thinks it’s something serious. I just wanted to thank him for helping me all the time... There’s no point if he’s troubled by them...

“I-I gave the manager the same cookies,” I said in a panic, wanting to make it clear that they were just a sign of thanks with no ulterior motive behind them. “He happily accepted them.”

Holmes froze. “Oh...” he murmured, sighing weakly.

Phew, looks like he’s not misunderstanding anymore.

My fingers had gotten cold, so I rubbed my hands together in front of my mouth. Suddenly, Holmes gently put his hands around mine. I looked up at him, surprised. He was gazing intensely at me.

“Your hands are bright red. You didn’t wear gloves?”

“I-I forgot, since I left home in a hurry.”

Holmes wasn’t wearing gloves either, but his hands were very warm.

“Poor thing. Your hands are as cold as ice.”

His large hands were wrapped gently around mine. I felt the blood in my cold fingertips circulating again. Actually, my entire body felt like it was heating up. My heart was beating a mile a minute.

“U-Um, Holmes...?”

“Aoi...”

“Y-Yes?” I was too scared to look him in the eye.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, we heard someone call out: “Is that you, Kiyotaka and Aoi?”

Startled, we quickly let go of each other’s hands. I looked in the direction of the voice and saw Izumi and Tachibana. They were holding hands and smiling happily.

“Izumi and Tachibana!” I exclaimed, relieved to see them like that. I was conflicted about Tachibana’s actions, but now that their problem had been resolved, I really did want them to be happy together. “Isn’t this great, Holmes?” I turned around and saw Holmes looking down, his hand pressed to his forehead. “Wh-What’s wrong?” I asked.

“It’s nothing... Yes, it’s great that their adversity made them stronger.” He looked up and smiled.

Izumi and Tachibana cheerfully came up to us and bowed together.

“I’m so sorry for all the trouble I caused you two,” Izumi said. “Thank you so, so much.”

“Yes, thank you for...everything,” Tachibana said. “Aoi’s words struck home. My selfishness and insincerity hurt both Izumi and my ex-girlfriend. I’ll never forget this. I want to be sincere...and bring Izumi happiness.” He had a determined look in his eyes.

Holmes and I nodded and said earnestly, “We wish you happiness.”

The beautiful hymn coming from the chapel felt like it was forgiving all of the sins in the world. The smiles of the couples sharing their feelings under the mistletoe were dazzling in the soft glow of the Christmas lights... It was a happy Christmas Eve.