Chapter 4 part 5-2

“What do you mean?” Holmes and I asked in unison.

“All three scrolls were burned in the incinerator out back,” Haruhiko murmured, twisting his face in grief.

“What?” We gaped, not knowing what to say.

“Burned… Does that mean there are no traces left?” Holmes asked, grimacing.

Kurashina shook his head. “No, the rods and whatnot are intact. But the artwork itself has been burned away.”

“Who would do such a thing, and why?” Ayako questioned, quivering and biting her lip.

Akihito shrugged dramatically. “Mom, it was obviously someone here.”

“Right, we were the only ones here in the mountain lodge that day,” Fuyuki said, looking intently at Holmes.

“Yeah, but like I keep saying, who here would burn the scrolls? Stealing them would make more sense,” Haruhiko said with irritation in his voice.

“What if they were stolen, and the burned scrolls were a decoy?” Akihito suggested with a smile, as if enjoying the situation.

“Why steal them? The paintings themselves weren’t worth much. The appraiser said they’d only be a few tens of thousands of yen if sold,” Fuyuki retorted.

“Even if the paintings weren’t worth anything, Dad could’ve hidden something in them. You know, like a secret fortune,” Akihito replied.

“Hmph, you’re the only one who’d say that. After all, you’re the most strapped for cash out of all of us, right?”

“Say that again?”

Fuyuki and Akihito stood up, but were interrupted by Ayako shouting “Cut it out!”

Wh-What have we gotten ourselves into?!

Meanwhile, Holmes continued drinking his coffee, completely unaffected. His expression was calm, but I could tell from the slightly curved corners of his mouth that he was amused in some way.

“Wait, Holmes. What’re you thinking?” I whispered in an accusing tone, poking him with my elbow.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just surprised by the uncanny resemblance.” Holmes put down his cup gently and looked back up.

The uncanny resemblance?

Between who and who? The three brothers?

I don’t know about their personalities, but their appearances are all different.

The late Kajiwara and his three sons?

I don’t know Kajiwara, so I can’t tell.

Ayako and Akihito?

They do have similar faces.

As I tilted my head in confusion, the heated quarrel continued to play out in front of me.

“Please calm down.” Holmes’s voice was relaxed but pierced through the room. Everyone stopped what they were doing. “Considering you called me here, I assume you didn’t go to the police?”

“Of course. It had to have been someone here, so we aren’t going to get the police involved,” Fuyuki declared.

I found myself nodding in understanding. If the culprit was absolutely someone here, then they wouldn’t want the police to handle it. But, since they still wanted to solve this inexplicable incident…

“When we talked to Yanagihara, who did the appraisal for us, he said that Ijuin’s son was a mastermind nicknamed ‘Holmes’ with the ability to see invisible truths with the mind’s eye,” continued Haruhiko.

Holmes placed his hand on his forehead as if annoyed. “I see. So it was Yanagihara who did your appraisal.”

“Do you know him, Holmes?” I asked.

“He’s an old friend of my grandfather’s.”

“Oh, I see.” It was another one of those connections.

Holmes regained his composure and looked at everyone else. “If Yanagihara was the one who looked at the paintings, then their valuation should be correct.” In other words, it was safe to believe that they weren’t priceless works of art.

“Well, I don’t care about that anymore. What I want is for you to interrogate us and figure out who burned the scrolls, Detective ‘Holmes.’ I’m a Sherlock fan, so I wanna see how good you are,” Akihito said with a mischievous grin. He’s good-looking, but he kind of bothers me. He doesn’t seem to be taking this seriously.

“The reason I’m called ‘Holmes’ is because of my surname, so I’m not sure if I’ll meet your expectations,” Holmes said, returning the smile and proving that he was indeed a calm and composed adult.

“You’ll accept this case, but you’re already stuck, huh?” Akihito said provokingly. I was taken aback. Why is he being so aggressive? Are they clashing because they’re both good-looking? Or does he dislike that someone’s being called “Holmes” because he really is a big Sherlock fan?

I felt nervous, but Holmes smiled coolly and replied, “Indeed. I have figured out who the culprit was, but unfortunately, I don’t have proof.”

“Wh-What?” Everyone voiced their surprise.

“R-Really?”

How could he figure out the culprit with this little information?

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Akihito said with a blatant frown.

“Do you really know?”

“Wh-Who is it?”

Everyone leaned in.

“My apologies, but I can’t say who until I have proof. Please allow me to question you thoroughly.”

Huh, Holmes must’ve gotten pretty worked up if he’d say something like that without proof. He acts aloof, but perhaps he’s more competitive than I thought. It seems like Akihito didn’t like him, but maybe the antagonizing went both ways?

“You’re right. I’m not fond of frivolous ‘pushy, egotistical, good-looking men,’” Holmes whispered in my ear, reading my mind. I almost spat out my coffee.

“So, I’d like to speak with each of you individually. First, Fuyuki. Could you introduce yourself again? State your name, age, and profession.” Holmes folded his hands in front of his chest and looked at Fuyuki.

“Starting with my name? All right. Fuyuki Kajiwara, thirty-two years old. I majored in economics at the University of Tokyo and started my own IT business.”

Fuyuki was thirty-two—my guess was correct.

“So you’re an entrepreneur? Could you tell me the name of your company?”

“Yes, it’s called West Japan.”

“Ah, an elite, well-regarded company, the stock value of which is on the rise.”

“Thank you,” Fuyuki said hesitantly. He looked surprised that Holmes was immediately able to describe his company. He’d probably assumed that the young man wouldn’t have heard of it.

“Were you satisfied with the distribution of assets three months ago?” Holmes asked bluntly, surprising me.

Fuyuki didn’t seem bothered though and he nodded. “When our father was alive, he said that the three of us would each get the same amount, and it was true. So, I wasn’t surprised. Besides, our father was a reckless spender, so there wasn’t that much left.”

“I see. What did you think when you saw the hanging scroll left to you by your father? Could you tell me your candid impressions?” Holmes looked him straight in the eye.

Fuyuki scratched his head. “Er, my father liked Kiyomori, so I didn’t really think anything beyond that… I also wasn’t sure what to do with it, since I don’t have anywhere to put it up.”

It seemed like those truly were his honest impressions. He must’ve been excited to see what he’d be inheriting, so maybe he was disappointed that it was a hanging scroll he wasn’t interested in.

“Thank you. Next, Akihito, if you may.” Holmes shifted his gaze to Akihito, who was sitting on a chair in front of the counter.

“Why do we have to give our names when you already know them? Whatever. Akihito Kajiwara, twenty-five. I’m an actor affiliated with AK Company,” the second son said, shrugging his shoulders exasperatedly.

“AK Company is quite a famous talent agency. How did you feel about the distribution of assets, Akihito?”

“Well, Dad was always telling me ‘I don’t have a single penny to give a prodigal son like you,’ so I was amazed I even got a share.”

“That’s not what Fuyuki said.”

“I dunno what Dad told him, but he told me I wasn’t getting any, so I was surprised for a different reason, I guess.”

“How did you feel when you saw the scroll?”

“Oh, I was pretty dang happy. I like Hokusai, the artist, although it turned out to be a reprint,” Akihito said with a lighthearted laugh. He really was frivolous.

“All right. Haruhiko, you’re next.” Holmes abruptly turned away.

“Wait, are you done with me already?” Akihito complained.

Haruhiko chuckled at Akihito before composing himself. “Haruhiko Kajiwara, twenty years old. I’m a second-year at Kyoto Prefectural University.”

“Haruhiko, how did you feel about the distribution of assets?”

“Honestly, I thought our family was richer than that, so I was confused at how little I got. I knew our father was a spendthrift though, so I came to terms with it.” Akihito laughed to cover up the awkwardness. This opinion felt genuine too.

“What made you think your father was a spendthrift?”

“He was very generous. He’d gather a bunch of people who’d helped him in one place and treat them to a feast. If he was in a good mood, he’d go to his favorite bar and pay for everyone’s tab—including complete strangers—encouraging them to drink as much as they wanted.” Haruhiko’s expression relaxed into a smile, presumably because he was recalling his father’s generosity. From that, I could tell that he loved and respected him.

“As the youngest son, was your father particularly strict with you, or was he lenient instead?” Holmes asked.