Chapter 2 part 4

After the Miyashitas left, Holmes remained seated and stared intently at the two letters. His eyes were serious, but his lips were curled in a smile.

“Did you figure something out?” I asked.

“Yes, somewhat.” He stopped at that, and I understood that he wasn’t going to explain further.

“Well then, I’m counting on you, Kiyotaka,” the owner said while putting on his hat.

Holmes didn’t hide his frown. “Where are you going?”

“Oh, just Ponto-cho.”

“Good grief. Just when I thought you finally decided to pay us a visit, you push a problem onto me and then immediately go off to play. Why did you bring me this case in the first place?” Holmes sighed in exasperation, holding the letters.

The owner laughed heartily. “Well, Miyashita didn’t wanna make a big deal outta it. She didn’t want any rumors to start up either, so she couldn’t go to the police. Since she was in a bind, I went, ‘In that case, you can ask my grandson. He’s the Holmes of Kyoto!’ without really thinking.”

“Would it kill you to think first? First of all, this is your store, but you’re never around, and yet you don’t want to close it either. You’re so selfish. Father and I have our own work to do, too; meanwhile, you’re pretending to be a busy appraiser and going on overseas trips with women. On top of that, you even tried to hit on our part-timer Aoi.”

As Holmes went into his lecture, the owner covered his ears. “I can’t heaaar you!” Is he a child? “Did you forget that it was me that developed your talent? You should be thanking me, not lecturing me.”

“That has nothing to do with this.”

“Anyway, that’s how I am. Refining my sensibilities is part of my job, whether it be through meeting people or talking to the ladies. Now then, I’m off to the Hanamachi.” The owner dashed out of the store as though running away.

“I had to check something with him, too. I’ll have to call him later,” Holmes said to himself with a sigh. I wonder what it is?

Moving along…

“You and the manager have similar auras, but the owner is completely different, huh?” I murmured.

Holmes smiled wryly. “Indeed. My father and I do respect him, but sometimes it’s hard to refrain from laughing.”

“I-I see. By the way, he said he was going to Ponto-cho at first, but when he left, he said Hanamachi instead. Which one is he actually going to?” I asked.

“Ponto-cho is also called Hanamachi.”

“Oh, is that so? I thought Hanamachi referred to Gion.”

“Yes, that is also correct. There are six geisha districts that are called Hanamachi: Kamishichiken, Gion Kobu, Gion Higashi, Shimabara, Ponto-cho, and Miyagawa-cho. Together, they’re known as ‘Kyoto’s Six Hanamachi.’”

“I didn’t know that.” I’d only heard of Gion and Ponto-cho before, but knew of the refined impression presented by these districts of Kyoto.

“Oh! Aoi, could you accompany me to the Saio-dai’s ikebana exhibit? A lone young man would stick out like a sore thumb there,” Holmes said with a smile.

I nodded fervently. “Ah, okay. I was interested too, so I’d love to.”

“Hmm, now it seems like I’m the one hitting on you, albeit not as brazenly as the owner,” Holmes said with a chuckle. I clammed up and felt my cheeks get hot. “I’m just kidding,” he continued right away. “There’s no ulterior motive, so don’t worry.”

I felt the strength leave my body. “You really are wicked,” I said, slumping my shoulders. Another grin rose to his face. It felt like he had me in the palm of his hand, and it was a bit frustrating.

How much has Holmes grasped about this case? When we go to the exhibit and meet the two supposed suspects, I’m sure he’ll figure out something new. I suddenly got excited at the thought. I was really looking forward to it now, for more reasons than one. It was probably disrespectful to be enthusiastic when the Saio-dai was being troubled by harassment mail. But I also hoped we could resolve this case quickly for the sake of clearing her anxiety, and clenched my fists tightly as I prayed.