Chapter 2 part 6

“S-Sorry, Holmes,” I said apologetically for a second time, putting my hands together. We had left the venue and gone to the cafe adjoining the hotel’s first floor lobby.

Holmes smiled. “Don’t worry. It doesn’t bother me all that much.”

“R-Really?” He’s not angry behind that smile, right?

“Yes, my relatives often treat me as an eccentric, so I’m used to it. In fact, I’ve even been thinking about making ‘Eccentric’ my middle name,” Holmes said nonchalantly, bringing his cup of coffee to his mouth.

My eyes widened in shock. “I-It is bothering you! Look, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I just meant you weren’t an ordinary person!”

Holmes burst out laughing at my frantic excuses. “I’m just kidding, Aoi.” He continued to chuckle, and I felt my cheeks turning crimson. H-He got me again.

“This is what they call ‘wicked Kyoto guys,’ huh?” I pouted as I drank my coffee.

“Aoi, it’s ‘Kyoto men,’ not ‘Kyoto guys.’” He held up his long index finger and spoke in a chiding tone, but his mouth was smiling.

“Oh, is that so? But, for some reason, I feel like ‘Kyoto guy’ suits you more.” Right, an elegant but somewhat mean guy from Kyoto.

“That phrase doesn’t exist, but I do like how it sounds softer than ‘Kyoto man.’” Holmes seemed amused, narrowing his eyes into arcs. I guess he likes it.

“So, did you hear anything from Keiko and Yuuko?” asked Holmes.

“Ah, yes. More than expected.”

“Oh? How so?”

“They were blabbering on and on. I was so surprised.” They were so unreserved that I was hesitant to tell Holmes everything. After all, they’d set their sights on Holmes, and I wouldn’t want to get in their way. But, this was an important investigation, so I relayed to him every last detail.

“I see. They were very open about their jealousy towards Saori, then. That’s surprising.” Holmes nodded, crossing his arms.

I impulsively leaned forward. “R-Right? You wouldn’t normally say those things to someone you met for the first time, right?”

“Indeed. This essentially means that those girls are used to speaking poorly of Saori on a regular basis.”

“That’s terrible.”

“It further proves how Saori was and is the school’s idol. Since she’s so brilliant, they don’t feel guilty about it.”

Since she’s so brilliant, they don’t feel guilty about it?

“Umm, what do you mean?”

“It’s similar to how ordinary people are fine with speaking poorly about idols. Those girls may be justifying it in their heads as, ‘Saori’s so pretty and popular with the opposite sex. She has lots of positive feelings already, so it doesn’t matter what bad things we say.’”

It’s a similar philosophy to ordinary people saying bad things about popular idols, huh? I can’t believe it’d happen between close friends, too… Or maybe their jealousy was magnified because they were close friends.

“But even then, how could they say those things so openly?” I lamented.

“You’re right; it’s poor behavior. If anything, they probably don’t care if Saori hears them herself. They might want to cause her discomfort.”

“What?! I feel so bad for Saori.”

“Likewise.”

“Wait. Saori is pretty, but is she really the type to be that popular with guys? To the point of making other girls that jealous?” After all, some say that beauty is only skin deep, I added mentally.

“Well,” Holmes said, taking a sip of his coffee. “It could be that the combination of her delicate beauty and air of vulnerability stir up a man’s protective nature.”

In other words, she has something that makes men want to protect her.

“Holmes, do you prefer girls like Saori too?” I asked.

“Who knows?” Holmes tilted his head.

“Why are you dodging the question? You do think she’s pretty, right?”

“Perhaps I do, but my principles dictate that when I’m with a lady, I shouldn’t praise another,” Holmes said with a smile.

“Huh?” My eyes widened. Was he…referring to me as that ‘lady?’ I blushed the instant I realized. “Wh-What’re you talking about? I don’t qualify as a ‘lady,’ right?”

“You’re not a lady, Aoi? Please excuse my rudeness.”

“Wait, I definitely am!”

Holmes laughed at my angry outburst. Ugh, he really is mean. A wicked Kyoto guy through and through. I sulkily puffed my cheeks, and Holmes continued to chuckle at me.

“Kiyotaka!” I heard a woman’s voice from behind me and quickly turned around in surprise. Saori, Kaori, and their mother were all there. Kaori was wearing a dress, while the others were in kimono. All three looked nervous.

Holmes quietly stood up, and I followed suit. We went over to them.

“Thank you for going out of your way to come here today,” began their mother. The three of them bowed.

“No, I was delighted to be able to encounter such fine works,” Holmes said, gracefully smiling and placing his hand to his chest. His whole body exuded elegance. Honestly, that aspect of him was deserving of respect. Maybe that was what made his eccentricities stand out so much.

“My, is that so?” The mother paused before continuing in a hushed voice, “So, um, did you learn anything?”

Holmes nodded. “Yes, but I’d like to take the time to have a proper chat about it. Are you free tomorrow, preferably in the morning?”

“I have an appointment with Shimogamo early in the morning.”

“When is it?”

“It starts at nine, and then I have to be back at this exhibit from noon onwards.”

“In that case, let’s meet at eight, in Shimogamo Shrine’s ‘Tadasu no Mori.’ There shouldn’t be anyone there at that hour, so I think it’ll be ideal.”

“A-All right.”

The three nodded, but looked confused at his proposal.

“Um, did you figure something out?” asked Saori.

“Yes, I did,” Holmes answered readily.

The Miyashitas and I were all surprised. “Huh?” we said in unison.

“W-Wait, how much did you figure out, Holmes?” I asked.

Holmes took out the folded letters from his jacket’s inner pocket. “I know who sent these, of course,” he said with a smile.