Holmes of Kyoto: Volume 13 (eBook)

Mai Mochizuki (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023
250 Seiten
J-Novel Heart (Verlag)
978-1-7183-7672-4 (ISBN)

Infos

At Yilin Jing's request, Kiyotaka goes to Shanghai with Ensho and Komatsu to appraise an art exhibition. What was supposed to be a comfortable trip takes a dramatic turn when Shiro Kikukawa suddenly sends him covert photos of Aoi in New York! Shiro tells Kiyotaka that if he wants to ensure Aoi's safety, he has to steal a particular painting. To make matters worse, the man claims to have dirt on Seiji Yagashira. With Aoi's well-being and his grandfather's reputation at stake, what will Kiyotaka do?

Textauszug

Introduction

1

“It’s been a while, Aoi.”

“Y-Yes, it has.”

Aoi Mashiro smiled awkwardly at the woman who had suddenly shown up at the antique store Kura. Her name was Yilin Jing, and she was the daughter of Zhifei Jing, one of the richest men in the world. Aoi and Kiyotaka had met her on the luxury overnight train “7 Stars,” where she’d been accompanied by Shiro Kikukawa (formerly Shiro Amamiya).

“Sorry to pop in without notice. Is the Holmes of Kyoto here?”

“Do you have business with him?”

“Yes. I want to ask him to do a job for me,” the Chinese woman said, narrowing her large eyes elegantly as she smiled. Her Japanese was as fluent as ever.

“A job?”

Shortly before Yilin Jing’s arrival, Kiyotaka Yagashira and Ensho had left for Komatsu’s office after receiving a call from the detective. Her visit would set various things in motion, but the next part of the story actually takes place at the Komatsu Detective Agency.

*

The office was located south of Kiyamachi-Shijo, on a small, quaint path along the Takase River. Most of the traditional wooden townhouses here were restaurants. The unique “Komatsu Detective Agency” sign among them felt out of place, but since the building’s exterior matched the aesthetic of the ones around it, it didn’t ruin the scenery. Inside, however, it had been renovated in a Western style. The first floor served as the office and consultation room, with bright wood-grain flooring. There was a black sofa set in the middle and three desks around it. The sofas, by the way, were leather—well, synthetic leather.

Currently, one of the sofas was occupied by Komatsu. Sitting on the one across from him was a beautiful, elegant-looking woman in a kimono. Her name was Atsuko Tadokoro, and she was in her early fifties. In addition to running a flower arranging school called Hana-tsumugi, she also operated a (legal) secret club. This was the same Atsuko who had been involved in a recent case. Thanks to Kiyotaka Yagashira, she had recovered the valuable blue diamond left to her by her late father. Her visit was the reason Komatsu had called Kiyotaka and Ensho (whose real name was Shinya Sugawara) back to the office.

“Oh, Atsuko is here,” Kiyotaka remarked upon entering. “I’m glad you seem to be doing well.” He smiled at her.

Ensho gave her a slight bow.

“Thank you both for your help,” she said, returning the smile as she held her coffee cup.

“It was nothing,” Kiyotaka replied, shaking his head as he sat down beside Komatsu. “I heard the blue diamond was appraised as genuine.”

“Yes, and paying the inheritance tax on it was difficult, to say the least.” The woman shrugged.

“I’d imagine so.” Kiyotaka gave a strained smile.

“Receiving expensive things comes with its own problems,” said Komatsu, crossing his arms.

“I considered quite a few options, but in the end, I entrusted the diamond to a museum,” said Atsuko. “Entrusting” meant that she maintained ownership of it.

“You’re fine with not keeping it at home?” Kiyotaka asked.

She nodded. “Blue diamonds of that size are very rare, so I’d be happier if a lot of people could see it. But the main reason is that I wouldn’t feel comfortable having it at home.”

“Yeah,” said Komatsu. If you had a diamond worth hundreds of millions of yen at home, you wouldn’t be able to leave the house in peace.

“The museum ain’t safe either,” Ensho muttered from one of the desks.

Atsuko giggled. “It’s much safer than my house, though. If it gets stolen from the museum, I’ll be able to give up on it. I don’t want my house to be set on fire again if I keep it,” she murmured with a faraway look in her eyes.

Everyone fell silent, knowing that was the real reason.

Atsuko looked up and tried to change the subject, perhaps feeling bad that her remark had affected the mood. “Oh, right, there’s something I wanted to ask you to do. It’s not a formal request, though.”

“Of course.” Kiyotaka and Komatsu nodded.

“You may have already heard, but there have been many purse-snatching incidents in Gion as of late. People have been having bags and even jewelry taken from them by force. Several of my students have been victims too. If you see it happen, could you report it?”

“Understood.”

Atsuko stood up. “Fridays are the one day our club is open at night, so I have to start getting ready now.”

“See you next time, then.”

“If you ever want a part-time job, Kiyotaka, you’re welcome anytime. That goes for you too, Ensho.”

“Thank you,” Kiyotaka said with a polite bow.

Ensho, however, turned away, his chin resting on his hand. “I ain’t interested in pouring drinks for rich old ladies.”

“Hey, Ensho, that’s rude. S-Sorry,” Komatsu apologized, flustered.

Atsuko didn’t seem offended. She gave an amused laugh and said, “Most people in Kyoto always give polite, superficial responses, so your honesty is refreshing.”

“I’m from Amagasaki, so yeah. I don’t like Kyoto people in the first place.”

“Me neither.” Atsuko grinned and left the office.

As soon as she was out of sight, Ensho shrugged and said, “Yeesh. That’s exactly what I hate about Kyoto people.”

“That scared me too, so I kinda agree with you this time,” said Komatsu. “She was smiling, but she was definitely in a bad mood. I’ll bring her some sweets from Toraya the next time I pass by. They’ve got the kiddo’s seal of approval, after all.”

Kiyotaka, who was taking the cups away, turned around and said, “Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you last time. As a Kyoto native, people will be happy when I bring them Toraya, but the situation changes if an outsider like Komatsu does it.” As he spoke, he washed the cups in the kitchen, gently wiped them with a dish towel, and placed them back in the cupboard.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Komatsu gaped at him.

Kiyotaka came out of the kitchen and faced the detective. “Everyone knows that Toraya is delicious and has a lot of brand power, but some feel that it abandoned Kyoto since it moved its headquarters to Tokyo after the Meiji Restoration. So if an outsider brings them Toraya, they may think, ‘They brought something from a store that abandoned us. They just don’t understand.’ In particular, you should avoid giving it as an apology gift. I recommend Kyoto-brand sweets instead.” Kiyotaka held up his index finger and grinned.

Komatsu and Ensho fell silent for a moment before exclaiming in unison, “What a pain!”

“What the hell?! That’s so annoying,” Ensho scoffed.

“Yeah, what the heck is up with that?”

“Now, now, it doesn’t have to be a pain or an annoyance,” said Kiyotaka. “You can enjoy this aspect of Kyoto culture.”

“Like hell I can!” Ensho retorted.

“What he said.” Komatsu nodded, then looked up, remembering something. “Oh yeah, the other day, I read on the internet that when Kyoto people tell their guests ‘That’s a nice watch you have there,’ it means ‘Go home already.’ It was so scary that it gave me chills.”

“Yeah, that’s the kind of people they are.”

Kiyotaka placed his hands on his hips, exasperated. “What is your problem? It’s just taking ‘Shouldn’t you get going now?’ and wrapping it in a compliment. Isn’t that a show of kindness? Why do outsiders have to blow every single thing out of proportion?”

“You guys are the ones blowing things outta proportion,” said Ensho.

“Yeah, what he said.”

As the three men conversed, they heard the rattle of the front door sliding open. The visitor had chosen to ignore the intercom.

“What’s up, guys?” It was Akihito Kajiwara. With his brightly dyed hair and casual T-shirt and jeans, he looked like a bit of a flirt, but he was certainly handsome in an eye-catching, glamorous way.

“Akihito...”

“Hey.” The young actor raised a hand and plopped himself down on the nearest sofa.

“Did you come here for fun?” Kiyotaka smiled, but his aura was clearly saying, “This is technically a workplace, you know?”

Akihito pouted. “No, I’m here for a consultation.”

“About what?”

“Someone will be coming here in about an hour, I think.”

Suddenly, the intercom rang.

“Huh, are they here already?”

Everyone looked at the monitor. Aoi Mashiro was on the screen.

“Aoi?” Kiyotaka stood up and looked at Akihito in surprise. “Was Aoi the visitor you were talking about?”

“Nope. Mine won’t be for a while.”

“I see.” Kiyotaka quickly went to the front door.

Komatsu caught a glimpse of Ensho’s eyes lighting up for a second just like Kiyotaka’s had, which surprised him considering how grumpy the man had been thus far.

“Sorry to bother you when you’re working, Holmes,” came Aoi’s voice from the entrance. She also explained that Rikyu was currently watching the store in her stead.

“Don’t be. I’m glad I get to see your face again,” Kiyotaka...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 2.2.2023
• Reihe/Serie: Holmes of Kyoto
• Reihe/Serie: Holmes of Kyoto
• Übersetzer: Minna Lin
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• Schlagworte: Cozy Mystery • Drama • female protagonist • History • Japan • Light Novel • Slice of Life
• ISBN-10: 1-7183-7672-3 / 1718376723
• ISBN-13: 978-1-7183-7672-4 / 9781718376724